Ultrasonographic and power Doppler evaluation of the patellar tendon ten years after harvesting its central third for reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament: comparison of patients without or with anterior knee pain.
BACKGROUND
The long-term morphologic changes in the patellar tendon after harvesting its central third for the reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament have not been reported.


OBJECTIVE
Sonographic morphologic changes in the harvested patellar tendon are common 10 years after the harvesting procedure.


METHODS
Retrospective cohort study.


METHODS
Thirty-one patients who had undergone an anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction using central-third bone-patellar tendon-bone autograft with a closure of the patellar tendon defect were included in this study. An ultrasonographic and Power Doppler examination was performed at a mean follow-up of 10 years.


RESULTS
Ultrasonography of the harvested patellar tendon showed intratendinous calcification in 9 patients, hypoechoic lesion in 20 patients, hyperechoic lesion in 1 patient, and peritendinous changes in 1 patient. Only 3 (9.7%) of the 31 patients had no changes in the harvested patellar tendon. No abnormality was visible in the contralateral (normal) patellar tendons of the 31 patients. The harvested patellar tendon was significantly thicker than the contralateral patellar tendon (P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Sonographic morphologic changes of the patellar tendon were common 10 years after the harvesting procedure, although no evidence of inflammatory process, as could be seen in Power Doppler flow, was found inside of any patellar tendon.
Järvelä
Timo
T
Division of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Department of Surgery, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland, Medical School, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland.
Paakkala
Timo
T
Kannus
Pekka
P
Toivanen
Jarmo
J
Järvinen
Markku
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016118:Anterior Cruciate Ligament / Q000601:surgery*; D000070598:Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007718:Knee Injuries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013710:Tendons / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000637:transplantation*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000379:methods*; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler