Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction through mini-arthrotomy using bone - patellar tendon - bone autograft

ABSTRACT

48 ACL reconstructions were performed using a bone - patellar tendon - bone autograft through the same incision used to harvest the graft [mini-arthrotomy]. The patients were mainly serious football amateurs, 19 to 32 years of age and the injury - surgery interval ranged from 2 to 18 months. The graft was inserted from distal to proximal, snuggly fit into the tibial tunnel without the use of implants and fixed into the femoral tunnel by an interference screw introduced from outside-in after graft tensioning. An accelerated rehabilitation program was followed with early weight-bearing and rapid return to sports activities. At an average follow-up period of 2 years, 94% of the patients were rated normal, or nearly normal, according to the IKDC clinical evaluation form