A Minimally Invasive and Simple Technique of Superficial Quadriceps Tendon Graft Harvesting

Quadriceps tendon (QT) graft is a versatile graft for anterior and posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Advantages of quadriceps tendon autograft are the superior quality of graft, customization of graft size, reduced anterior knee pain, reduced risk of neurovascular injury, reduced incidence of arthrofibrosis compared to BPTB graft, preservation of ACL agonists, i.e., hamstrings, implantation of thicker graft and better patella mobility. Considering its advantages over other available autografts, its popularity is now increasing among surgeons. Conventionally, quadriceps tendon graft is harvested by an open technique, which produces an ugly scar and delays rehabilitation. In this article, we describe a minimally invasive technique of quadriceps tendon graft harvesting with a 2-2.5-cm vertical skin incision. Our technique does not require any specialized instrumentation, unlike other reported minimally invasive QT graft harvesting techniques, as we harvest the graft with a close tendon stripper.