RESUMEN
PURPOSE: To determine whether the diameter of the quadrupled semitendinosus tendon (ST) graft in primary anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) is related to the risk of revision ACLR within 2 years of primary ACLR, postoperative knee laxity, and patient-reported knee outcome. Furthermore, to investigate whether smaller graft than estimated is related to revision ACLR. METHODS: Patients who underwent primary ACLR with a quadrupled ST autograft at our institution from January 2005 to December 2017 were identified. Data from the Swedish National Knee Ligament Registry were collected up to 2 years or until revision surgery was registered within 2 years after primary ACLR. Knee laxity was assessed preoperatively and at 6-month follow-up using the KT-1000 arthrometer (134 N anterior tibial load). The Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) was collected preoperatively and at 2 years postoperatively from Swedish National Knee Ligament Registry. On the basis of anthropometric measurements (body height and weight) and sex, the estimated quadrupled ST graft diameter was calculated. RESULTS: A total of 4,519 patients who underwent ACLR with a quadrupled ST autograft were included. The mean graft diameter was 8.3 ± 0.7 mm; 8.0 ± 0.6 mm for women and 8.6 ± 0.7 mm for men. The quadrupled ST graft diameter was not significantly correlated to revision ACLR. There was no significant difference in the ST graft diameter regarding postoperative knee laxity. The correlations between ST graft diameter and KOOS were weak, except for the "sport and recreation" subscale (P = .012). CONCLUSIONS: The quadrupled ST graft diameter was not significantly related to the need for early revision ACLR, nor was it related to postoperative knee laxity or patient-reported outcome except for the KOOS "sport and recreation" subscale. Smaller ST graft than estimated was not a risk factor for revision ACLR. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, retrospective cohort study.
RESUMEN
PURPOSE: To determine whether anthropometric measurements (height and weight), sex, age, and preinjury Tegner Activity Scale (TAS) were predictors of the quadrupled semitendinosus (ST) graft diameter in primary anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. METHODS: A total of 4,519 patients who underwent primary anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with a quadrupled ST autograft were included. Anthropometric measurements (height and weight), sex, age, and preinjury TAS were collected. Correlation coefficients and multiple linear regression analysis were used to determine the relationships among graft diameter and anthropometrics measurements (height and weight), sex, age, and preinjury TAS. RESULTS: The diameter of the quadrupled ST graft was correlated positively to height (r = 0.021, P < .001), age (r = 0.005, P < .001), and weight (r = 0.004, P = .001) and negatively to female sex (r = -0.297, P < .001). A regression equation was estimated to predict the ST graft diameter for men as 4.245 + 0.021 × height (cm) + 0.004 × age (years) + 0.005 × weight (kg) and for women as 3.969 + 0.021 × height (cm) + 0.004 × age (years) + 0.005 × weight (kg). CONCLUSIONS: Height, age, and weight were positively correlated, whereas female sex was negatively correlated, to the diameter of the quadrupled ST graft. Knowledge of these factors can be used for the preoperative estimation of the graft diameter which can be helpful for appropriate graft choice. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, retrospective cohort study.
RESUMEN
PURPOSE: To evaluate and compare subjective and objective knee outcomes following hamstring tendon (HT) and quadriceps tendon (QT) anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) with or without suture tape (ST) reinforcement. It was hypothesized that the addition of an intra-articular synthetic augmentation with a ST would reduce postoperative knee laxity and graft ruptures after ACLR. METHODS: A 1:1 matched-cohort comparison of patients who underwent HT and QT autograft ACLR with or without ST reinforcement was performed. Patients with ST reinforcement were consecutively assigned to the study groups until a number of 20 in each group was achieved. Medical records were reviewed for demographic characteristics and additional injuries. Laxity measurements with KT-1000, strength measurements and physical examination findings were collected both preoperatively and at 6 months and patient reported outcome (PRO) scores were collected both preoperatively and at 12 months, and comparison was made HT vs HT + ST and QT vs QT + ST. Reoperations and re-ruptures were recorded during the 24-month follow-up period. RESULTS: Overall, 80 patients who underwent ACLR were included. Patients with HT + ST had significant less laxity postoperatively compared to HT at 6 months, 1.9 vs 0.8 mm, p < 0.05. No differences were found between the QT and QT + ST group. At 6 weeks patients treated with ST, both QT and HT, had a significant deficit in flexion compared to those without ST. However, this resolved at 6 months. There were no significant differences between HT + ST vs HT, or QT + ST vs QT, regarding postoperative PROs or strength measurements. Furthermore, the incidence of subsequent surgery and graft rupture was not significantly different between the groups. CONCLUSION: ACLR with HT + ST reduces laxity at 6 months compared to ACLR without ST, a difference not seen when ACLR was performed using QT with or without ST. No other differences were seen between the two techniques comparing subjective and objective findings. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III.
RESUMEN
PURPOSE: To compare anterior knee laxity and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) between anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) performed with bone-patellar tendon-bone (BPTB) and hamstring tendon (HT) autografts and, moreover, to study any correlation between postoperative anterior knee laxity and PROMs. METHODS: Patients who underwent primary ACLR at Capio Artro Clinic, Stockholm, Sweden, from January 2000 to October 2015, were identified in our local database. Instrumented laxity measurements and PROMs were reviewed. The KT-1000 arthrometer, with an anterior tibial load of 134-N, was used to evaluate knee laxity preoperatively and at the 6-month follow-up. The Lysholm score was collected preoperatively and at 6 months postoperatively. The Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) was collected preoperatively and at the 1-year follow-up. RESULTS: A total of 5462 primary ACLRs, 692 BPTBs and 4770 HT autografts were included in the study. All the patients showed a significant reduction in knee laxity from preoperatively to postoperatively (BPTB group: from 3.8 ± 2.6 to 1.2 ± 2.1 mm; HT group: from 3.6 ± 3.1 to 1.8 ± 2.2 mm; P < 0.001 for both). The HT group showed a significantly increased postoperative knee laxity compared with the BPTB group (1.8 ± 2.2 vs 1.2 ± 2.1 mm; P < 0.001). The mean anterior tibial translation (ATT) reduction from preoperative to postoperative was significantly larger for the BPTB graft compared with the HT graft (2.7 ± 2.2 vs 1.7 ± 2.6 mm; P < 0.001). A significantly higher rate of "surgical failures", defined as a postoperative side-to-side (STS) difference > 5 mm, was found in the HT group compared with the BPTB group at follow-up (4.3 vs 2.4%; P < 0.001). A significantly larger improvement was found in the HT group compared with the BPTB group for the KOOS Pain (9.5 vs 8.0; P = 0.02), Activities of Daily Living (7.2 vs 5.7; P = 0.006), Sports (24.2 vs 15.3; P < 0.001) and Quality of Life (25.8 vs 22.1; P = 0.001) subscales. No significant difference regarding the mean improvement in the Lysholm knee score was found between the two grafts (BPTB group: 14.5, HT group: 14.0; n.s.). No correlation between postoperative anterior knee laxity and PROMs was found in either graft group. CONCLUSION: Primary ACLR performed with HT autograft resulted in greater postoperative anterior knee laxity and significantly more surgical failures (STS > 5 mm) compared with BPTB autograft. The BPTB autograft showed a larger anterior knee laxity reduction (ATT reduction) in conjunction with primary ACLR. The HT autograft led to a significantly larger improvement in four of five KOOS subscales from preoperatively to the 1-year follow-up, compared with BPTB autograft. There was no association between postoperative anterior knee laxity and PROMs for either graft. The findings of the present study provide clinicians with valuable information regarding differences in knee laxity and subjective knee function between BPTB and HT autograft after primary ACLR. The use of BPTB autograft should be considered for patients with high knee stability demands. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Retrospective cohort study, Level III.