Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction With Hamstring Autograft: A Matched Cohort Comparison of the All-Inside and Complete Tibial Tunnel Techniques.

BACKGROUND

Surgical reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of the most common orthopaedic procedures, with an estimated 100,000 to 175,000 procedures performed annually. Recently, the all-inside reconstruction technique has come into favor and is theorized to be superior to the complete tibial tunnel technique.

PURPOSE

To compare clinical and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) for hamstring autograft ACL reconstruction (ACLR) performed with an all-inside versus a complete tibial tunnel technique.

STUDY DESIGN

Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

METHODS

Patients who underwent hamstring autograft ACLR via either an all-inside approach (femoral and tibial sockets) or a complete tibial tunnel approach (femoral socket and full-length, transtibial tunnel) at a single institution between July 2011 and July 2015 were reviewed. Demographic information, preoperative comorbidities, surgical details, physical examination findings, and follow-up outcomes were extracted from the medical record. Physical examination data included pivot-shift, Lachman, and range of motion examinations, whereas PROs included the Tegner activity scale, Lysholm score, and International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score at a minimum of 2 years after surgery. Return to sport and risk factors for failure were analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 82 patients (mean ± SD age, 25.8 ± 10.2 years) who underwent all-inside reconstruction (median PRO follow-up, 30.1 months; range, 24.7-72.9 months) and 54 patients (mean ± SD age, 21.1 ± 7.3 years) who underwent complete tibial tunnel reconstruction (median PRO follow-up, 25.8 months; range, 23.9-74.5 months) met the inclusion criteria. PRO scores at latest follow-up were comparable between the all-inside versus the complete tibial tunnel groups (Lysholm score, 93.8 vs 94.4, = .621; IKDC score, 93.5 vs 93.3, = .497; Tegner activity score, 6.4 vs 6.8, = .048). Complications (including graft failure) were experienced by 20% of patients in the all-inside group compared with 24% in the complete tibial tunnel group ( = .530). Graft failure before the final follow-up was experienced by 10% of patients in the all-inside group compared with 19% in the complete tibial tunnel group ( = .200). Mean return to sport was 12.5 months in the all-inside group versus 9.9 months in the complete tibial tunnel group ( = .028).

CONCLUSION

All-inside and complete tibial tunnel hamstring autograft ACLR resulted in excellent physical examination findings and PROs at minimum 2-year follow-up. Both techniques successfully restored knee stability and patient function.