Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39686764›Full record

SynthesisKnee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA2025

Quadriceps tendon autograft diameters are routinely above 8 mm, and preoperative size estimation before anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction may not be necessary for this graft type: A systematic review.

Joshua Dworsky-Fried, Amanda Hadwen, Luca Bernardini, Prushoth Vivekanantha, Alberto Grassi, Matthieu Ollivier, Darren de Sa

Abstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Joshua Dworsky-FriedMichael DeGroote School of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0003-6960-9201
Amanda HadwenMichael DeGroote School of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Luca BernardiniSchool of Graduate Studies, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Prushoth VivekananthaDivision of Orthopaedic Surgery, Department of Surgery, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1298-5121
Alberto GrassiIRCCS, Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Bologna, Italy.
Matthieu OllivierInstitut du Mouvement et de l'appareil Locomoteur, Hôpital Sainte-Marguerite, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France.
Darren de SaDivision of Orthopaedic Surgery, Department of Surgery, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeTo identify values of reported quadriceps tendon (QT) autograft diameter and length in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR), and to identify methods to predict these parameters.

methodsA search was conducted across three databases from inception to 30 March 2024. Data on study characteristics, demographics, anthropometric data, imaging techniques, and QT autograft or harvested QT tendon parameters were extracted. Values quantifying the statistical strength of associations between imaging or anthropometric characteristics and graft or tendon parameters as well as for associations between these parameters and postoperative outcomes were recorded.

resultsA total of 3633 patients were included. The weighted mean QT autograft diameter and length were 8.9 (standard deviation [SD]: 0.7, range: 7.8-10.4) mm and 8.1 (SD: 1.3, range: 5.6-9.3) cm, respectively. A total of 93.8% of studies that reported mean QT autograft diameter found a value of 8 mm or greater. The QT groups had similar or significantly greater mean autograft diameter compared to the hamstring tendon (HT) groups in 91.7% of studies that reported significance. Regarding MRI measurements, 71.4% of the correlation coefficients reported showed a moderate positive correlation, 28.6% showed a low positive correlation and 14.3% showed a high positive correlation. Regarding anthropometric characteristics, 33.3% and 16.7%, 16.7% and 14.3% of studies that reported on the relationship between QT autograft diameter and height, weight, body mass index or age, respectively, found a low positive statistically significant correlation. Only statistically nonsignificant associations were reported between QT autograft parameters and post-operative outcomes and complications.

conclusionsQT autografts used in ACLR have a mean diameter of 8 mm or greater and are consistently larger than HT autografts. Preoperative MRI measurements are better than anthropometric characteristics at predicting QT autograft parameters; however, preoperative prediction may not be necessary for this graft type. QT autograft parameters were not found to be significantly associated with any post-operative complication or outcome. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV.

Indexed as

Anterior Cruciate Ligament InjuriesAnterior Cruciate Ligament ReconstructionAutograftsQuadriceps MuscleTendonsHamstring TendonsHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingOrgan SizePreoperative CareTransplantation, AutologousACL reconstructionanthropometricMRIparameters

Identifiers

PMID39686764
PMCPMC12392381

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Registered trials

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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.