title: Patellar tendon length after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.
abstract: We studied changes in patellar tendon length after reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament using either the medial third of the patellar tendon as a graft (n = 40) or a Leeds-Keio artificial ligament (n = 40). Both types of ligament replacement had been supplemented with a MacIntosh extra-articular lateral substitution. The mean change in length in the tendon graft group was 6% (SD 5.39); in the Leeds-Keio group it was 2.4% (SD 4.93). The change in length was significant in both groups, but shortening was more frequent and more severe in the tendon graft group. There was shortening of 10% or more in 25% of knees after patellar tendon graft and 7.5% after use of a Leeds-Keio prosthesis.
authors.affiliation: Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, England.
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Dandy
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Desai
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016118:Anterior Cruciate Ligament / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017847:Patellar Ligament / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000601:surgery; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D013709:Tendon Transfer