ReviewKnee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA2019
The use of allograft tendons in primary ACL reconstruction.
Review in Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 52 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
52 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 95 citations in OpenAlex.
- Comparative assessment of graft maturity after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction using different graft types: a systematic review.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2026Pooled it
- Anatomic reconstruction of lateral ankle ligaments: is there an optimal graft option?Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA · 2022Pooled it
- Autograft or allograft for reconstruction of anterior cruciate ligament: a health economics perspective.Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA · 2019Pooled it
- Different timing in allograft and autograft maturation after primary anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction does not influence the clinical outcome at mid-long-term follow-up.Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA · 2022Trial
- A Narrative Review of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Graft Choice and Its Influence on Return to Sport.Current reviews in musculoskeletal medicine · 2026Review
- Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: Clinical Outcomes and Biomechanical Considerations of Graft Selection-A Narrative Review.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2026Review
- Morphometric and Histological Insights to Aid Graft Selection for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.Cureus · 2026Article
- A clinical practice review: augmentation of meniscoligamentous structures for primary prevention of knee joint deterioration.Annals of joint · 2026Review
- Patients Have Similar Clinical Outcomes and Failure Rates After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction With Tibialis Anterior Tendon, Bone-Patellar Tendon-Bone, Hamstring Tendon, or Achilles Tendon Allografts: A Systematic Review.Arthroscopy, sports medicine, and rehabilitation · 2025Review
- Evaluating Donor-Recipient Sex Mismatch in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction With Allograft: Outcomes at 2 Years Postoperatively.Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2025Article
- Article
- Donor-Site Morbidity in Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Reconstruction With All-Soft Tissue Quadriceps Tendon Autograft vs. Hamstring Tendon Autograft: A Retrospective Monocentric Observational Study.Advances in orthopedics · 2025Article
- Graft Selection in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Comprehensive Review of Current Trends.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2024Review
- Allograft to bone-tunnel integration in a canine anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction model: a comparison study of allograft preparation methods.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2024Article
- Tensile Strength of the Achilles Tendon Allograft: A Comparative Study of Graft Preparation Technique.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Arthroscopic Anatomic Lateral Ankle Reconstruction Using Allograft: A Simplified Approach.Arthroscopy techniques · 2024Article
- Outcomes of ACL Reconstruction Utilizing Supercritical COOrthopaedic journal of sports medicine · 2024Article
- Allografts use in orthopedic surgery: trend change over the past 11 years from a regional tissue bank.Cell and tissue banking · 2024Article
- Achilles Allograft Fiber Track Graft Preparation Technique for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.Arthroscopy techniques · 2024Article
- Tenodesis in Flail Foot: A New Surgical Technique.The archives of bone and joint surgery · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors at 7 institutions in 6 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeGraft choice in primary anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction remains controversial. The use of allograft has risen exponentially in recent years with the attraction of absent donor site morbidity, reduced surgical time and reliable graft size. However, the published evidence examining their clinical effectiveness over autograft tendons has been unclear. The aim of this paper is to provide a current review of the clinical evidence available to help guide surgeons through the decision-making process for the use of allografts in primary ACL reconstruction.
methodsThe literature in relation to allograft healing, storage, sterilisation, differences in surgical technique and rehabilitation have been reviewed in addition to recent comparative studies and all clinical systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
resultsEarly reviews have indicated a higher risk of failure with allografts due to association with irradiation for sterilisation and where rehabilitation programs and post-operative loading may ignore the slower incorporation of allografts. More recent analysis indicates a similar low failure rate for allograft and autograft methods of reconstruction when using non-irradiated allografts that have not undergone chemically processing and where rehabilitation has been slower. However, inferior outcomes with allografts have been reported in young (< 25 years) highly active patients, and also when irradiated or chemically processed grafts are used.
conclusionWhen considering use of allografts in primary ACL reconstruction, use of irradiation, chemical processing and rehabilitation programs suited to autograft are important negative factors. Allografts, when used for primary ACL reconstruction, should be fresh frozen and non-irradiated. Quantification of the risk of use of allograft in the young requires further evaluation. LEVELS OF EVIDENCE: III.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.