Functional Outcome of All-Soft-Tissue Quadriceps Tendon Autograft in ACL Reconstruction in Young and Athletic Patients at a Minimum Follow-Up of 1 Year

Abstract

To investigate the functional outcome in young and athletic patients with ACL injuries, treated with an all-soft-tissue quadriceps tendon autograft at a minimum follow-up of 12 months. Methods: Patients who received a QT autograft ACL reconstruction between August 2018 and December 2020 were included in this study. Range of motion in the operated knee was described at 6 and 18 weeks after surgery and the functional outcome parameters (Lysholm score, IKDC score and Tegner activity scale) were calculated at 6 and ≥ 12 months after surgery. Results: Forty patients were included in this study, of which 29 identified as male and 11 as female. The average age was 31.3 years (range 16 to 57 years) and the mean follow-up time was 16.8 months (range 12 to 30 months). All functional outcome scores showed improvement over the course of the follow-up: Lysholm score 94.2 to 95.5 (n.s.), IKDC score 90.1 to 93.9 (n.s.), Tegner activity scale 3.7 to 5.0 (p > 0.001), all at six months and ≥12 months. No reruptures happened during the time of the follow-up. Conclusions: This study shows that the all-soft-tissue quadriceps tendon autograft technique can improve functional outcome in young and athletic patients with an ACL injury at short to intermediate follow-up.

Grafts Comparison Between Quadriceps Tendon Autograft vs. Allograft for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Revisioon Reconstruction: A Literature Review

“…Because these temporary complications will have an insignificant impact on the long-term economics, they estimate fewer complications with the patellar tendon (PT) grafts (0.2-1.2% overall) but some more serious, including a patellar fracture in 0.42-1.3%, rupture of PT and anterior knee pain, reported in as many as 46%, but with varying definitions. [12,13] An evidence review from New Zealand from Accident Compensation Corporation Research has been produced to guide practice. It was based on an overview of 12 systematic reviews.…”

“…Grafts came from a single tissue bank over a relatively short period. [13][14][15] Failure does not necessarily mean something is wrong with the procedure or the technology. It should be noted that people having these procedures do so because they have damaged or ruptured their tissues, perhaps by putting great demands on the knee structures, often during sport.…”

Hamstring vs. All-Soft-Tissue Quadriceps Tendon Autograft for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in Adolescent Athletes: Early Follow-Up Results of a Prospective Study

“…Crum et al [23], in their systematic review, compared only 181 all-soft-tissue QT patients (5 studies) with 1534 patellar bone QT patients (20 studies). There is limited information on the all-softtissue QT autograft for ACLR, and comparative studies are lacking, but the results are promising, as researchers reported no difference in graft rupture between all-soft-tissue QT and patellar-bone-block QT autografts [23], great functional outcomes at short and intermediate follow-up [24] and decreased donor site morbidity [25]. Our study mainly concentrated on two poorly studied fields: the all-soft-tissue QT autograft and its use in young and active patients [11,18].…”

Drop Jump Performance Improves One Year Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in Sportsmen Irrespectively of Psychological Patient Reported Outcomes

“…The rate of athletes sustaining anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries while practicing sporting activity is growing; as a result, so is the number of ACL reconstructions performed worldwide [ 1 , 2 ]. Return to sporting activity is a major concern for patients undergoing knee surgery, although after ACL reconstruction only two-thirds of patients are able to resume sport at the same level they practiced before injury [ 3 ], and the rate of re-injury is relatively high, especially among younger athletes [ 4 ].…”