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No differences found between tibial, femoral tunnel volume enlargement in PCL reconstruction with mixed graft, Achilles allograft
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There was no difference in femoral or tibial tunnel volume enlargement between patients who underwent PCL reconstruction with Achilles allograft or mixed graft, according to results of a recently presented study.
“The femoral and tibial tunnel volume enlargement caused by single-bundle PCL reconstruction using the remnant bundle preservation technique showed no significant difference between the Achilles allograft and the mixed graft over a short-term follow-up,” the authors wrote in the study. “Furthermore, the overall incidence of tunnel volume enlargement (TVE) in PCL reconstruction in the study was low.”
In the prospective CT study, researchers compared patients who underwent PCL reconstruction with either Achilles allograft or mixed tibialis anterior allograft and hamstring tendon autograft at a single center between 2007 and 2011. The Achilles allograft group had 22 male and 5 female patients with an average age of 30.6 years old and follow-up of 22.1 months. In the mixed graft group, there were 22 male and 7 female patients with an average age of 29 years old and follow-up of 21.2 months.
Overall, the incidence rate of TVE was 3.6% for the femoral tunnel and 5.4% in the tibial tunnel. The average tunnel volume difference was 12% for the femoral tunnel and 10.6% for the tibial tunnel. The average femoral TVE for the Achilles allograft group was 10.1% and 13.8% in the mixed graft group while the average tibial TVE was 9.9% in the Achilles allograft group and 11.2% in the mixed graft group. Researchers found no significant difference in functional outcomes or posterior laxity.
“We hypothesize that a higher tendon healing potential and delayed postoperative rehabilitation can reduce the incidence and degree of tunnel volume enlargement after PCL reconstruction,” the researchers wrote. — by Renee Blisard Buddle
Disclosures: Nha receives support from a 2014 Inje University Research Grant. The coauthors have no relevant financial disclosures.
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