Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction With Bone–Patellar Tendon–Bone Graft: Comparison of Autograft, Fresh-Frozen Allograft, and γ-Irradiated Allograft

Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction With Autografts Compared With Non-irradiated, Non-chemically Treated Allografts

“…After the exclusion of 575 studies based on limited abstract evaluation, 21 articles underwent further comprehensive review. After secondary assessment, we included 11 studies for review and analysis, [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] including one Level I study, 7 Level II studies, and 3 Level III studies (Fig 1). We excluded 11 studies because of the following: chemical or irradiation treatment (4 studies), insufficient outcome data (2 studies), indeterminate sterilization techniques (one study), noncomparative study design (one study), Level of evidence (one study), and small study size (one study).…”

“…Allocation of graft type was determined by formal treatment arm randomization in 4 studies, 20-23 patient preference in 5 additional studies, 14,15,17,18,24 and graft availability in one study. 16 One study incorporated both randomized patients and other prospectively enrolled patients who refused randomization.…”

Allografts in Posterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstructions

“…Fresh-frozen processed graft material may be stored for three up to 5 years, prior to use (Gelber et al 2008;Sun et al 2011;Guo et al 2012;Lawhorn et al 2012). Fresh-frozen allograft is frozen after its harvest.…”

Tibial tunnel enlargement and joint instability after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. A prospective comparison between autograft and allograft

“…By meta-analysis, Kraeutler et al 25 assessed the knee stability after ACL reconstruction with autografts or allografts, and concluded that there was a lower level stability in the allograft group. The etiology of knee instability caused by the allograft is multifactorial, and accumulating evidences suggest that sterilization and preservation of the allograft 26 and immunological factors 27 are involved. The allograft that we used went through the process of irradiation, freezing, and thawing, which could affect their structural and mechanical properties.…”