Purpose: We prospectively assessed 22 consecutively treated patients to determine the effectiveness
and safety of arthroscopically assisted posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) reconstruction
by using a quadriceps tendon autograft. Methods: Twenty-two patients with isolated PCL injury who underwent PCL reconstruction with
a quadriceps tendon autograft were enrolled in the prospective study. The average
follow-up period was 66 months (range, 60-76). Follow-up included Lysholm knee scores,
Tegner activity scores, International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score, thigh
muscle assessment, and radiographic assessment. Results: The mean preoperative Lysholm score for 22 knees was 67 (range, 50 to 75), and the
mean postoperative Lysholm score was 89 (range, 75 to 98). Nineteen of 22 patients
(86%) displayed good or excellent results in the final assessment. The mean preoperative
Tegner score for 22 knees was 3 (range, 2 to 5), whereas the mean postoperative Tegner
score was 6 (range, 3 to 9). There were statistically significant improvements in
Lysholm score (P = .009), Tegner score (P = .039), postoperative KT-1000 arthrometer (MEDmetric, San Diego, CA) scores (P = .006), final IKDC rating (P = .035), and thigh atrophy and muscle strength (P < .05) when compared with preoperative data. Regarding IKDC final rating, 82% of
the patients (18 of 22) were assessed as normal or nearly normal (grade A or B). Conclusions: After follow-up for more than 60 months, the analytical results showed patients achieved
satisfactory function after PCL reconstruction by using a quadriceps tendon–patellar
bone autograft. This study suggests that a quadriceps tendon autograft is sufficiently
large and strong and can achieve good ligament function after reconstruction. Level of Evidence: Level IV, therapeutic study.
Key Words
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The authors report no conflict of interest.
Note: To access the supplementary tables accompanying this article, visit the April issue of Arthroscopy at www.arthroscopyjournal.org
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© 2007 Arthroscopy Association of North America. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
