Effects of Graft Selection in Arthroscopic Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: Midterm Functional Results

This study is a comparison of the midterm clinical results of patients who underwent anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction using an allograft and those who had an autograft procedure.

The results of 70 patients who underwent ACL reconstruction with an anterior tibial tendon (ATT) allograft (n=18) or a hamstring (HT) autograft (n=52) were evaluated retrospectively. At the last follow-up, International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) and Tegner-Lysholm scores were used to assess functional status, as well as results of the Lachman test, the anterior drawer test, and the pivot-shift test.

There was no significant difference between the 2 groups in terms of age, gender, length of time before operation, graft thickness, or femoral tunnel length (p>0.05). The results were satisfactory in both groups in the postoperative period in terms of the length of time until a return to sports, IKDC score, Tegner-Lysholm score, range of motion, quadriceps circumference, and laxity, with no significant difference between the groups (p>0.05).

The results of this study suggested that midterm clinical outcomes of ACL reconstruction with an ATT allograft or an HT autograft are similar when the correct technique is used according to the appropriate indications by an experienced surgeon and a successful rehabilitation program implemented after the operation.