Quadriceps tendon-patellar bone autograft for arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

Surgical reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is indicated in ACL-deficient knee with symptomatic instability and multiple ligament injuries. Bone-patellar tendon-bone and hamstring tendon have been generally used in the reconstructive surgeries. However, the advantages and the disadvantages of these graft tissues continues to be controversial. An arthroscopic ACL reconstruction technique is described in the present study by using an alternative graft method called the quadriceps tendon-patellar bone autograft. From March 1996 to March 1997, this autograft was used in 12 patients with ACL injuries. After 1 to 2 years of follow-up, the clinical outcome of the patients treated with this graft have been encouraging. The advantages of the quadriceps tendon graft include, the graft is larger and stronger than the patellar tendon, morbidity of the harvest donor site is less than that of patellar tendon graft, no quadriceps inhibition is seen after the quadriceps harvest, and with aggressive rehabilitation, there is shorter recovery time for the patients. Quadriceps tendon-patellar autograft is an alternative choice for ACL reconstruction in patients who are not suitable for the use of bone-patellar tendon-bone or hamstring tendon autograft.