ArticleKnee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA2020
No long-term tunnel enlargement following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction using autograft hamstring tendon with dual suspensory fixation.
Article in Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed.
- "Tension Suspension" Remnant-Preserving ACL Reconstruction Promotes the Early Maturity of the Graft Ligament.Orthopaedic surgery · 2026Article
- Management and analysis of complications associated with all-inside technique anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: A propensity score-matched study.Journal of experimental orthopaedics · 2026Article
- Gradual stabilization and narrowing of bone tunnels following primary anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA · 2025Article
- Decreased femur tunnel widening after augmented suspensory fixation compared to suspensory fixation for single bundle hamstring ACL reconstruction.Journal of clinical orthopaedics and trauma · 2024Article
- Anatomical Single-Bundle Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Using a Calcium Phosphate-Hybridized Tendon Graft with More than an Average of 5 Years of Follow-Up: A Follow-Up Study of a Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Article
- Eccentrically widened bone tunnels after all-inside anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: a computed tomography and three-dimensional model-based analysis.Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA · 2023Article
- Tibial tunnel expansion does not correlate with four-strand graft maturation after ACL reconstruction using adjustable cortical suspensory fixation.Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA · 2023Review
- A new remnant preservation technique reduces bone tunnel enlargement after anatomic double-bundle anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA · 2022Article
- Laterally shifted tibial tunnel can be the risk of residual knee laxity for double-bundle anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA · 2022Article
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
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Abstract
purposeBone tunnel widening following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) is well documented, although the aetiology and clinical significance of this phenomenon remain unclear. At mid-term follow-up, a greater prevalence of tunnel enlargement has been reported with the use of hamstring (HS) grafts. However, there are paucity of data on what happens in the longer term. The aim of this study was to assess the change in femoral and tibial tunnel dimensions 15 years after four-strand HS ACLR.
methodsThis is a retrospective review of 15 patients who underwent arthroscopic ACLR using HS autograft tendon and were followed up radiographically at 4 months, 2 years and 15 years. Suspensory fixation was used for both ends of the graft. The diameters of the bone tunnels on posteroanterior (PA) and lateral radiographs were measured using digital callipers. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to examine change in tunnel width over time.
resultsRadiographic tunnel width did not significantly change between 4 months and 2 years. However, a significant decrease in width was found for both the femoral and tibial tunnels between the 2- and 15-year follow-up (P < 0.01): the femoral tunnel decreased by 50% and 51% in the PA and lateral views, respectively; the tibial tunnel decreased by 77% and 91% in the PA and lateral views respectively. There was no significant correlation between femoral or tibial tunnel width and flexion and extension deficits or with side to side differences in anterior tibial laxity at 15 years.
conclusionsThis radiographic follow-up study of bone tunnel widening following HS ACLR with suspensory fixation demonstrated that tunnel width did not increase beyond 4 months and in fact had decreased significantly at long-term (15 years) follow-up. There was no correlation between tunnel width changes and clinical assessment of flexion and extension deficits or with side-to-side anterior knee laxity at 15-years. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.
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