Although allograft use for primary anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction has continued to increase during the last 10 years,
concerns remain regarding the long-term function of allografts (primarily that they may stretch with time) and clinical efficacy
compared with autograft tendons. We attempted to address these issues by prospectively comparing identical quadrupled hamstring
autografts with allograft constructs for primary anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction in patients with a minimum followup
of 3 years. Eighty-four patients (37 with autografts and 47 with allografts) were enrolled; the mean followup was 52 ± 11 months
for the autograft group and 48 ± 8 months for the allograft group. Outcome measurements included objective and subjective
International Knee Documentation Committee scores, Lysholm scores, Tegner activity scales, and KT-1000 arthrometer measurements.
The two cohorts were similar in average age, acute or chronic nature of the anterior cruciate ligament rupture, and incidence
of concomitant meniscal surgeries. At final followup, we found no difference in terms of Tegner, Lysholm, KT-1000, or International
Knee Documentation Committee scores. Five anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions failed: three in the autograft group
and two in the allograft group. Our data suggest laxity is not increased in allograft tendons compared with autografts and
clinical outcome scores 3 to 6 years after surgery are similar.
Level of Evidence: Level II, therapeutic study. See the Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Each author certifies that he has no commercial associations (eg, consultancies, stock ownership, equity interest, patient/licensing
arrangements, etc) that might pose a conflict of interest in connection with the collection of this data and the submitted
article.
Each author certifies that his institution has approved the human protocol for this investigation and that all investigations
were conducted in conformity with ethical principles of research, and that informed consent was obtained.