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CC BY 4.0 · Rev Bras Ortop (Sao Paulo) 2024; 59(02): e189-e198
DOI: 10.1055/s-0044-1785493
Artigo Original
Artroscopia e Trauma Esportivo

The Influence of Tunnel Parameters and Graft Inclination Angle on Clinical and Radiological Outcome at Long-term Follow-up after Arthroscopic Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Article in several languages: português | English
Thatchinamoorthy Santhamoorthy 
1   Departamento de Ortopedia, Indira Gandhi Government General Hospital and Postgraduate Institute, Puducherry, Índia
,
Anish Anto Xavier 
1   Departamento de Ortopedia, Indira Gandhi Government General Hospital and Postgraduate Institute, Puducherry, Índia
,
Kaliaperumal Krun 
2   Departamento de Ortopedia, Indira Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute, Puducherry, Índia
,
Dharamveer Kumar Dubey 
1   Departamento de Ortopedia, Indira Gandhi Government General Hospital and Postgraduate Institute, Puducherry, Índia
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Financial Support The present survey has not received any specific funding from public, commercial, or not-for-profit funding agencies.
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Abstract

Objective To study the influence of various tunnel parameters and graft inclination angle (GIA) on the clinical and radiological outcome after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) at long-term follow-up.

Methods In this retrospective study, 80 patients with isolated anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury treated by single bundle ACLR using bone patellar tendon bone (BPTB) and hamstring (HT) autografts were evaluated clinically and radiologically at their long-term follow-up. The study population were divided into two groups based on ideal and nonideal tunnel parameters as well as ideal and nonideal GIA. The various tunnel parameters and GIA were interpreted with clinical and radiological outcome at long-term follow-up.

Results Eighty patients, 36 (45%) using BPTB and 44 (55%) using HT autografts, were available to complete the study. Patients with ideal coronal tibial tunnel angle (CTTA) and coronal femoral tunnel angle (CFTA) show superior clinical outcome (pivot shift test) than nonideal CTTA and CFTA, which was found to be statistically significant (p-value < 0.038 and 0.024, respectively). Similarly, patients with ideal coronal tibial tunnel position (CTTP) show superior clinical outcome (International Knee Documentation Committee - IKDC objective) over nonideal CTTP (p-value < 0.017). All other tunnel parameters and GIA were not found to have influence on clinical outcome. None of the tunnel parameters have influenced osteoarthritis (OA) change. There was no progression of OA change in the study population at long-term follow-up after ACLR.

Conclusion Ideal coronal tunnel parameters produced a better clinical outcome at long-term follow-up after ACLR. There was no progression of OA change at long-term follow-up after isolated ACLR.

Keywords

anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction - knee joint - osteoarthritis

Work developed at the Department of orthopedics, Indira Gandhi Government General Hospital and Postgraduate Institute, Puducherry, India




Publication History

Received: 11 April 2023

Accepted: 06 November 2023

Article published online:
10 April 2024

© 2024. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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