Failure of anterior cruciate-ligament reconstruction using tendon xenograft.

From January 1981 to September 1983 forty knees had replacement of a torn anterior cruciate ligament with a tendon xenograft. In six of the first thirty knees that were operated on severe synovitis developed within eight months after the operation, and total synovectomy and removal of the graft was required. Because of this complication we changed the recommended rinsing procedure for the graft in the last ten knees, and no synovitis occurred in these. Approximately half of all of the grafts ruptured between twelve and twenty months after the operation.