title: Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction in females: a comparison of hamstring tendon and patellar tendon autografts.
abstract: This study compared hamstring (HS) and patellar tendon (PT) anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction in females. Sixty-five patients (43 HS, 22 PT) were evaluated at a mean 3.8-year postoperatively. Evaluation included IKDC 2000, SF-36, Cincinnati sports activity scores, anterior knee pain (AKP), kneeling pain, range of motion and anterior knee laxity. One PT patient sustained a traumatic graft rupture. There were no differences between the two grafts in terms of anterior knee laxity or IKDC scores. The HS group had higher sports activity scores and higher scores on the Physical Functioning and General Health subscales of the SF-36. Despite no difference in AKP, there was greater kneeling pain in the PT patients, who also had greater extension deficits. Both HS and PT are satisfactory ACL grafts in females, but HS grafts were associated with less morbidity, greater return to preinjury level of activity and higher quality of life scores.
authors.affiliation: Musculoskeletal Research Centre, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC 3086, Australia.
authors.forename: Rainer
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Siebold
authors.forename: Kate E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Webster
authors.forename: Julian A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Feller
authors.forename: Alasdair G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Sutherland
authors.forename: Johanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Elliott
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016118:Anterior Cruciate Ligament / Q000601:surgery*; D001182:Arthroscopy; D050376:Bone-Patellar Tendon-Bone Grafting; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D019637:Orthopedic Procedures / Q000379:methods; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular; D020127:Recovery of Function; D013710:Tendons / Q000637:transplantation*; D013848:Thigh; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous; D016896:Treatment Outcome