Outside-in technique versus inside-out semitendinosus graft harvest technique in ACLR: a randomised control trial

Paraesthesia after hamstring graft harvest is a ubiquitous complication in the early post-operative period, and its correlation with vertical versus horizontal skin incision are well documented. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the incidence and extent/area of sensory loss of saphenous nerve branches occurring with the outside-in (OI) versus inside-out technique (IO) of semitendinosus graft harvest from the sartorius fascia and to determine a better method of graft harvest.

Sixty patients who underwent isolated semitendinosus graft harvest during anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) between 2016 and 2017. Patients were randomised into two groups depending on the graft harvest technique: 30 in the OI group and 30 in the IO group. The area of sensory loss was mapped on the patients' skin using tactile feedback from the patients at each follow-up (10 days, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months and 1 year). Then, the area of sensory changes for the infrapatellar branch (IPBSN) and sartorial branch (SBSN) of the saphenous nerve, incision length, graft harvest duration, and graft length were analysed statistically between the groups.

In groups 1 and 2, 18/30 (60%) and 19/30 (63%) of patients, respectively, developed sensory changes, with no significant difference between the groups (p = 0.79). Isolated SBSN and IPBSN paraesthesia occurred in 2/60 (3%) and 19/60 (32%), respectively. Combined SBSN and IPBSN paraesthesia was present in 16/60 (27%) of patients. There was no significant difference in the area of the sensory deficit between OI and IO groups on the 10th post-operative day or at 1-month, 3-month or 1-year follow-up (p = 0.723, p = 0.308, p = 0.478, p = 0.128, respectively). However, at 6-month follow-up, the area of paraesthesia was significantly higher in the IO group (p = 0.009). The length of incision and duration of graft harvest was higher in the OI group than in the IO group (p = 0.002 and p = 0.007, respectively), and the total length of the graft was greater in the IO group (p = 0.04).

Incidence is equally distributed, area of iatrogenic saphenous nerve injury gradually decreases, and recovery is seen in the majority of the patients in both graft harvest techniques. IO graft harvesting technique is better in terms of graft harvest time and cosmetics and yields longer graft; however, area of paraesthesia, though not significant, was two-fold higher than the OI technique at 1-year follow-up.

IO graft harvest technique would enable the surgeon to adopt quicker graft harvest, smaller surgical scar and lengthier graft than the OI technique.

Therapeutic randomised controlled prospective study, Level II.