Ligamentization of Autogenous Hamstring Grafts after Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction / 中国运动医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the ligamentization process of autogenous hamstring grafts after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)reconstruction and explore its potential influencing factors.Methods Patients undergoing the ACL reconstruction between January and December 2014 were recorded demographic data including their gender,age,weight,height,body mass index (BMI),general joint relaxation(the Beighton score),and their surgical duration.Six,12,and 24 months after the operation,the signal intensity of the proximal,middle and distal part of the ACL grafts was measured using MRI,and the signal to noise quotient (SNQ)was calculated to assess the graft maturity.The data were analyzed statistically to explore the ligamentization process of grafts and its potential influencing factors.Results A total of 87 patients receiving ACL reconstruction were enrolled in this study.The results showed that the SNQ of the proximal and middle part of the ACL grafts decreased gradually with time,and significant differences were observed in the SNQ value of the proximal part between 24 months and that of 6 and 12 months(P＜0.05).There was no significant difference in the SNQ value of the distal part at different time points.The SNQ values of grafts were not significantly affected by the gender,age,body weight,height,BMI,Beighton score or ACL duration(P＞0.05).Conclusion The ligamentization of autogenous hamstring grafts after ACL reconstruction increases gradually with timent positive correlation with postoperative time.