Femoral tunnel length does not impact outcomes following ACL reconstruction using a single-bundle quadriceps tendon autograft: A systematic review.

purposeTo determine whether femoral tunnel length (FTL) affects clinical or functional outcomes following primary Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) with single-bundle quadriceps tendon autograft, both with and without a patellar bone block.

methodsAn electronic search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases was carried out via OVID. Data pertaining to study characteristics, patient demographics, surgical techniques, femoral tunnel length, and subjective/objective clinical outcomes was abstracted. Studies were stratified into two groups based on FTL; a short femoral tunnel (S-FT) group of ≤25 mm, and a long femoral tunnel (L-FT) group of >25 mm. There was a high degree of heterogeneity between studies, prohibiting meta-analysis.

resultsSeven studies comprising 368 total patients with a mean age of 30.3 years (range: 23.4-34 years) were included for analysis. The S-FT group included 126 patients and the L-FT group 242 patients. Both groups demonstrated statistically significant postoperative improvements across both subjective and objective clinical and functional outcomes. Average complication rates were 11.9% (range: 0%-29%) in the S-FT group and 4.5% (range: 1%-14%) in the L-FT group. Ranges of re-rupture rates were 0%-2% and 0%-3% for the S-FT and L-FT groups, respectively (n.s.).

conclusionBoth S-FT and L-FT groups demonstrated comparable postoperative outcomes following primary ACLR with single bundle quadriceps tendon autograft. There were slightly superior, although non-significant, outcomes reported with short femoral tunnel length, however, this may have been confounded by the variation in surgical technique used. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV.