Comparison of semitendinosus tendon autograft and tendon allograft for reconstruction of the ligaments of the lateral ankle via minimally invasive method / 中华骨科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To study on the different results of a minimally invasive method to reconstruct the ligaments of the lateral ankle using semitendinosus tendon autograft and tendon allograft.Methods Data of 68 patients with chronic ankle instability who had undergone lateral ligament reconstruction from September 2006 to June 2011 were retrospectively analyzed.In the group of semitendinosus autograft,there were 32 patients (19 males,13 females) with an average age of 32.4 years old.Semitendinosus was harvested through 2 small knee incisions.While in the group of tendon allograft,there were 36 patients (22 males,14 females) with an average age of 34.2 years old.For the ankle reconstruction,4 small incisions of 5 mm each were made at the medial and lateral side of the fibular tip,the talar neck,and the middle of the calcaneus.Anatomical reconstruction of the anterior talofibular ligament and calcaneofibular ligament was then performed through these small incisions.AOFAS questionnaires were used to measure clinical outcomes,donor site morbidity and patients' satisfaction.Preoperative and postoperative stress tests were performed and radiographic parameters were measured.Results The average operation time of the autograft group 85.5 ± 11.5 min was significantly longer than that in the allograft group 58.1±10.2 min,but the fever days in the latter 5.5±1.5 d was significantly longer than in the former 2.5±1.2 d.In autograft group,23 patients got followed up,and the mean period of follow-up was 33.5±6.7 months.The mean AOFAS score increased from 62.3±8.2 to 95.1 ±7.5.In allograft group,26 patients got followed up,and the mean period of follow-up was 28.5±6.7 months.The mean AOFAS score increased from 60.2±8.4 to 94.8±5.5.There were 5 patients (3 of autugraft group and 2 of allograft group) with residual instability on uneven ground.One case of the autologous group had instability in daily life.No patient presented weakness or disability in the donor site.The satisfaction level of the autograft group was excellent in 16,good in 5 and bad in 2.Significant improvement in stress radiographic parameters was noted for the talar tilt angle,with reduction from a mean of 14.0° to 3.8°; anterior talar displacement reduced from a mean of 12.3 to 4.6 mm.The satisfaction level of the allograft group was excellent in 17,good in 5 and bad in 4.The talar tilt angle reduced from 13.0° to 3.6°; anterior talar displacement reduced from 11.5 to 4.3 mm.Conclusion There is no differences in efficacy could we found in using these 2 kinds of materials.The process of healing and rehabilitation of tendon autograft is slightly faster than the tendon allograft,but the allograft tendon has many advantages such as limited injury,simple procedure andavoiding of donor site morbidity.