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Study: Semitendinosus and gracilis tendon graft superior to BPTB graft after ACL reconstruction
Researchers from Iran found patients had better functional outcomes after ACL reconstruction with a semitendinosus and gracilis tendon graft than with a bone-patellar tendon-bone graft in this prospective study.
“[A]t the time that the athletes returned to sports, the results of ACL reconstruction with a [semitendinosus and gracilis tendon] STG graft were better than those with a [bone-patellar tendon-bone] BPTB graft in terms of quadriceps strength and the results of triple-hop, crossover-hop, and jump-landing tests,” Farshid Mohammadi, PhD, and colleagues wrote in the study. “Moreover, both groups with an ACL reconstruction demonstrated dynamic differences compared with matched controls.”
The 42 soccer players had a unilateral ACL injury and were randomized into either the STG graft group or the BPTB group, according to the abstract. After rehabilitation and at return-to-sport, the soccer players performed strength, hop and jump tests, and these results were compared to a control group.
Patients with an STG graft had better quadriceps strength, crossover-hop, triple-hop and jump-landing tests, according to the abstract. However, Mohammadi and colleagues noted that patients who underwent ACL reconstruction had lower quadriceps and hamstring strength as well as decreased jump-landing and hop-test results in their operated knee compared to controls.
Disclosure: The authors have no relevant financial disclosures.