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. 2010 Dec;26(12):1593-601.
doi: 10.1016/j.arthro.2010.05.014. Epub 2010 Oct 16.

Allograft anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction in the young, active patient: Tegner activity level and failure rate

Gene R Barrett  1 , Kurre Luber, William H Replogle, Josie L Manley
Affiliations

Allograft anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction in the young, active patient: Tegner activity level and failure rate

Gene R Barrett et al. Arthroscopy. 2010 Dec.

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose was to analyze outcomes of nonirradiated, fresh-frozen bone-patellar tendon-bone (BPTB) allograft anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction in patients aged under 40 years with regard to activity level (Tegner score).

Methods: Between 1993 and 2005, 111 patients, aged under 40 years, underwent primary, nonirradiated, fresh-frozen BPTB allograft ACL reconstruction and were retrospectively reviewed. Follow-up was limited to a minimum of 24 months. Patients with concomitant ligament injuries and previous surgeries were excluded. Seventy-eight patients met the inclusion criterion and were available for follow-up. Four hundred eleven patients had BPTB autograft ACL reconstructions and comprised the control group. Failure of the graft was defined as repeat ACL reconstruction because of reinjury or graft failure, 2+ Lachman (no endpoint), any pivot shift, and/or 5-mm side-to-side KT-1000 difference (MEDmetric, San Diego, CA) or greater. Initial examinations, surgical findings, and follow-up examinations were prospectively entered into a computerized relational database. The results were assessed by both objective and subjective measures.

Results: High-activity allograft patients had a 2.6- to 4.2-fold increase in the probability of graft failure compared with low-activity BPTB allograft patients and low- and high-activity BPTB autograft patients. Patients undergoing BPTB autograft reconstruction reported significantly fewer problems on a visual analog scale and scored significantly higher on the postoperative Tegner activity scale than patients undergoing allograft reconstruction.

Conclusions: The active allograft group is 2.6 to 4.2 times more likely to fail compared with low-activity allografts and low- and high-activity autografts. We conclude that fresh-frozen BPTB allografts should not be used in young patients who have a high Tegner activity score because of their higher risk of failure.

Level of evidence: Level III, retrospective comparative study.

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