Hamstring tendon graft vs. Bone Patella Tendon graft for ACL reconstruction
ACL Repair: Patellar Tendon graft or Hamstring Tendon graft? The dominant answer for this question is that it is ultimately up to patient characteristics and surgeon preference when looking to repair a torn ACL surgically. Previous research compares both the Patellar Tendon graft to the Hamstring Tendon graft which are the two most common autografts one could get in ACL reconstruction surgery, although no literature has made a definitive conclusion that one is more favorable than the other. I used my personal experience having had one of each graft in either leg and three very specific case studies to make a claim that one graft may in actuality be more favorable than the other. Contrary to what is most regularly assumed in literature, when specifically analyzing knee laxity, pivot shift and rupture rate, Patellar tendon may be slightly better. My findings indicated that there is no one graft that is largely better than the other, but that research and my personal experience indicates that Patellar tendon grafts could lead to better outcomes overall.
EXSC 425, Biomechanics of Musculoskeletal Injuries
Heike McNeil
Noon – 12:30 PM