Overview

Anterior cruciate ligament injuries are one of the most common sports knee injuries. Their effect on the knee joint can be detrimental with patients experiencing instability and progressive damage of the intraarticular structures. Therefore, anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) is often indicated. Multiple graft option exist, including autograft, allograft and xenograft tissues, with autografts being considered as a first-choice source of reconstructed ligament in most cases. Two most common harvested autografts are hamstring tendons (semitendinosus or semitendinosus and gracilis tendons; ST or STG) and patellar tendon with two bone blocks (bone - patellar tendon - bone; BPTB). However, in the recent literature there is an increasing trend towards use of quadriceps tendon autograft (QT). Multiple techniques of harvesting this graft were described, including both partial and complete thickness of the tendon. Another issue is whether bone block from the upper pole of the patella is harvested along with the soft tissues (quadriceps tendon bone graft, QTB).

The aim of this study is to add to the body of knowledge concerning full-thickness quadriceps tendon-bone autograft (QTB) used in ACLR. The primary outcome consists of The International Knee Documentation Committee Questionnaire (IKDC), the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) and retear rate.

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Symptomatic knee anterior and rotatory instability after ACL injury;
• Primary ACLR cases

Exclusion Criteria:

• Active inflammation of the knee;
• Revision cases;
• Additional PLC, PCL or PFJ injuries (MCL and meniscal lesions are not exclusion criteria);
• Fractures around the knee