Donor site morbidity after quadriceps tendon harvest for rotator cuff repair.
BACKGROUND
The central quadriceps tendon provides a useful free tendon graft, although the morbidity of harvesting it is unknown in elderly patients.


METHODS
The donor site morbidities of 10 patients after central quadriceps tendon (CQT) graft harvest were reviewed for rotator cuff repair. Patients were reviewed by questionnaire and clinical examination at a minimum of 5 months after surgery.


RESULTS
A majority of patients reported significant donor site pain and reduction in knee reliability and function. Six of 10 patients had reduced quadriceps power attributable to the graft harvest.


CONCLUSIONS
The harvesting of the CQT graft is associated with significant morbidity, especially in an elderly population with limited functional reserve.
Comley
A S
AS
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Repatriation General Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
Krishnan
J
J
D000368:Aged; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity; D017006:Rotator Cuff / Q000601:surgery*; D013710:Tendons / Q000637:transplantation*; D014019:Tissue Donors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D020858:Tissue and Organ Harvesting