ArticleKnee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA2022
Sufficient MRI graft structural integrity at 9 months after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with hamstring tendon autograft.
Article in Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
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8 citing papers in PubMed, 10 citations in OpenAlex.
- Rehabilitation guidelines after autograft anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction need more graft-specific exercise recommendations-A scoping review.Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA · 2026Article
- Anterior Cruciate Ligament Return to Play: "A Framework for Decision Making".Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Gradual stabilization and narrowing of bone tunnels following primary anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA · 2025Article
- Graft Selection in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Comprehensive Review of Current Trends.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2024Review
- [Comparative study of I.D.E.A.L. technique and transtibial technique in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction].Zhongguo xiu fu chong jian wai ke za zhi = Zhongguo xiufu chongjian waike zazhi = Chinese journal of reparative and reconstructive surgery · 2024Article
- Periosteal wrapping of the hamstring tendon autograft improves graft healing and prevents tunnel widening after anterior cruciate ligament anatomic reconstruction.Archives of orthopaedic and trauma surgery · 2024Article
- Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy Improves Outcome after Primary Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction with Hamstring Tendons.Journal of clinical medicine · 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
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeTo assess the MRI-measured structural integrity of hamstring autograft at 9 months after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) surgery.
methodsA prospective cohort study was conducted including 34 patients (mean age 36.8 ± 11.8 years; 73.5% males) who underwent ACLR with hamstring autograft. In addition, 36 patients (mean age 39.2 ± 10.5 years; 69.4% males) without any ACL injury were also reviewed and served as control group. The primary outcome used for examining graft maturity at 9 months after ACLR was the MRI-based signal-to-noise quotient (SNQ) of reconstructed ACL. SNQ values were stratified into 3 different categories: excellent: < 0.1; good: ≥ 0.1 and ≤ 0.19; fair: ≥ 0.2. The KT-1000 knee arthrometer was used to measure the side-to-side difference in the anterior tibial translation between the ACLR knee and the contralateral healthy knee in the ACLR group.
resultsReconstructed ACLs were found with a mean SNQ of 0.078 ± 0.061, while almost all ACL-reconstructed patients (97%; 33 out of 34) were found with excellent or good SNQ values (< 0.019). The mean KT-1000 in the ACLR group was 0.071 mm ± 0.926 mm, while there were no patients in the ACLR cohort with a KT-1000 value > 3 mm. The mean 9-months MRI-based SNQ of ACLR group was significantly higher compared to the mean MRI-based SNQ of the control group (p < 0.001). Multiple regression analysis showed no correlation between SNQ and age, gender, time from injury to ACLR, graft size, or simultaneous treatment of additional intra-articular knee lesions.
conclusionsIn this cohort of 34 ACL-reconstructed patients, 97% of hamstring tendon autografts demonstrated excellent/good MRI signal intensity and excellent functional results (KT-1000 < 3 mm) at 9 months after surgery. Based on this finding, it is suggested that return to sports after ACLR with hamstring autograft can be considered safe at 9 months post surgery. Furthermore, while structural integrity of the graft has been achieved at this time point, statistical differences found in SNQ values of ACL-reconstructed patients compared to ACLs of healthy individuals highlight the continuing process of graft maturation and remodelling. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III.
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