title: Freeze-dried allografts for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.
abstract: Freeze-dried allografts represent a viable and functional alternative to fresh-frozen allograft and autograft constructs. Compared with fresh-frozen allograft constructs, freeze-dried soft tissue allograft constructs have many advantages including limited immunogenicity, ease of graft storage, comparable mechanical properties of soft tissue constructs, and the potential for improved biologic incorporation. This article reviews the fundamental processing of freeze-dried allografts and summarizes the clinical and basic science studies supporting the safe and effective use of freeze-dried allograft constructs for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. It also discusses potential directions of future research on tissue-engineered anterior cruciate ligament constructs using freeze-dried tendon constructs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, GATA Haydarpasa Training Hospital, Uskudar Istanbul 34668, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mahir
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mahirogullari
authors.forename: Cristin M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Ferguson
authors.forename: Patrick W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Whitlock
authors.forename: Kathryne J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Stabile
authors.forename: Gary G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Poehling
mesh_terms: D016118:Anterior Cruciate Ligament / Q000601:surgery*; D000070598:Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries; D050376:Bone-Patellar Tendon-Bone Grafting; D015925:Cryopreservation; D006801:Humans; D013710:Tendons / Q000637:transplantation*; D023822:Tissue Engineering; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous