title: Clinical comparison of two suspensory fixation devices for anatomic double-bundle anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to compare the operation time required and the clinical outcome 2 years postoperatively, after anatomic double-bundle ACL reconstructions using hamstring tendon grafts fixed with either the EndoButton-CL-BTB(®) (ECL-BTB) or the EndoButton-CL(®) (ECL).
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-six patients, who underwent anatomic double-bundle ACL reconstruction, were non-randomly divided into 2 groups. Patients with a combined ligament injury or complete meniscal tear were excluded from this study. In group I, an ECL was used with 23 patients. In group II, an ECL-BTB was used with the remaining 23 patients. In groups I and II, the ECL or ECL-BTB was attached to the femoral ends of the hamstring tendon autografts. In both groups, a polyester tape was connected in series with the tibial ends of the grafts. The patients were examined with standard clinical evaluations at 2 years after surgery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The operation time in group II was significantly shorter than that in group I (P = 0.0459). Concerning the intra- and postoperative complications, there were no serious complications in either group. No significant differences were found between the 2 groups in terms of knee laxity measurements, the peak muscle torque of quadriceps and hamstrings, the Lysholm score and the IKDC evaluation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study demonstrated that the usage of the ECL-BTB for graft preparation significantly shortens the total operation time in comparison with the ECL and that there were no significant differences in the 2-year clinical outcome and the intra- and postoperative complications between the 2 graft preparation procedures of the anatomic double-bundle ACL reconstruction. The ECL-BTB can be an alternative device for the hamstring tendon graft in double-bundle ACL reconstruction.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective comparative cohort study, Level II.
authors.affiliation: The Department of Sports Medicine and Joint Surgery, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Kita-15 Nishi-7, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-8638, Japan. eijik@med.hokudai.ac.jp
authors.forename: Eiji
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kondo
authors.forename: Kazunori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yasuda
authors.forename: Shin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Miyatake
authors.forename: Nobuto
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kitamura
authors.forename: Harukazu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tohyama
authors.forename: Tomonori
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yagi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016118:Anterior Cruciate Ligament / Q000601:surgery*; D000070598:Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries; D059549:Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007431:Intraoperative Complications; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009984:Orthopedic Fixation Devices; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013710:Tendons / Q000637:transplantation*; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult