Summary

Patients who underwent primary ACLR with quadriceps tendon autograft yield favorable outcomes with a low rate of failure or complications within a 2-year follow-up period.

Abstract

Purpose

To evaluate clinical outcomes for quadriceps tendon autograft after primary anterior cruciate ligament (ACLR).

Methods

A retrospective chart review was conducted to identify patients who underwent ACLR with quadriceps tendon (QT) autograft at a single institution between January 2019 and May 2020. Patients were included who underwent primary ACL reconstruction and had adequate follow-up available. Patients were excluded if they underwent multiligament reconstruction. Patient demographics, relevant patient history, and surgical factors data was collected. Further review was performed to determine whether any graft failure occurred, or subsequent surgery was performed and the maximum length of follow up in the chart was recorded.

Results

Forty-one patients were identified who underwent primary QT autograft ACLR and 36 met inclusion criteria. Nineteen were male (52.78%), 31 were not Hispanic or latino (86.11%), 21 were White (58.33%). The average age was 24.53±7.02 years with an average BMI of 26.75±5.22 Kg/m2. All surgeries were performed using an adjustable loop suspensory button for femoral fixation and a similar adjustable loop suspensory button for tibial fixation for an “all-inside” technique. The average graft diameter was 9.42±0.53 mm. Nine patients had a concurrent medial and lateral meniscus tear, 8 patients had a medial meniscus tear, 12 had a lateral meniscus tear and 7 had no meniscal tear. At a mean follow-up of 1.73+/ 0.8 years, 34 patients (94.44%) had no complications. There was one patient (2.7%) with a complication, who developed post-operative arthrofibrosis requiring re-operation. One patient (2.7%) also sustained a graft re-tear based on physical examination and MRI, though elected to not undergo revision.

Conclusion

Patients who underwent primary ACLR with QT autograft yield favorable outcomes with a low rate of failure or complications within a 2-year follow-up period. QT autografts can be viewed as a viable approach for primary ACLR at two years follow-up.