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Comparisons of femoral tunnel enlargement in 169 patients between single-bundle and anatomic double-bundle anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions with hamstring tendon grafts

  • Knee
  • Published:
Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy Aims and scope

Abstract

Purpose

Authors have hypothesized that the incidence and the degree of femoral tunnel enlargement after the hamstring ACL reconstruction may be significantly less in the anatomic double-bundle procedure than in single-bundle procedure. The purpose of this study is to test this hypothesis.

Methods

Seventy-two patients who underwent single-bundle reconstruction (Group S) and 97 patients who underwent anatomic double-bundle reconstruction (Group D) were followed up for 2 years after surgery. The hamstring tendon grafts were used in each procedure. All of the 169 patients were examined with computed radiography, and the standard clinical evaluation methods.

Results

In Group S, the incidence of femoral tunnel enlargement was 48.6 and 54.2% in the anteroposterior and lateral views. In Group D, the incidence of femoral anteromedial and posterolateral tunnel enlargement was 36.1 and 23.7%, respectively, in the anteroposterior view, and that of femoral anteromedial and posterolateral tunnel enlargement was 33.0 and 21.6%, respectively, in the lateral view. The incidence of femoral tunnel enlargement was significantly less in Group D than in Group S (P < 0.0133). Concerning the degree of the tunnel enlargement, a similar tendency with statistical significance was observed (P < 0.0001). In each group, there were no significant relationships between the degree of tunnel enlargement and each clinical measure.

Conclusion

Both the incidence and the degree of femoral tunnel enlargement after anatomic double-bundle reconstruction with the hamstring tendon grafts are significantly less than those after single-bundle reconstruction with the same graft.

Level of evidence

Prospective comparative cohort study, Level II.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sports Medicine and Joint Surgery, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Kita-15 Nishi-7, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-8638, Japan

    Yasuyuki Kawaguchi, Eiji Kondo, Nobuto Kitamura, Shuken Kai & Kazunori Yasuda

  2. Department of Orthopaedic surgery, NTT East Japan Sapporo Hospital, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan

    Masayuki Inoue

Authors
  1. Yasuyuki Kawaguchi
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  2. Eiji Kondo
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  3. Nobuto Kitamura
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  4. Shuken Kai
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  5. Masayuki Inoue
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  6. Kazunori Yasuda
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Correspondence to Kazunori Yasuda.

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Kawaguchi, Y., Kondo, E., Kitamura, N. et al. Comparisons of femoral tunnel enlargement in 169 patients between single-bundle and anatomic double-bundle anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions with hamstring tendon grafts. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 19, 1249–1257 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00167-011-1455-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00167-011-1455-7

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