Comparison of joint function and radiological outcomes between patients undergoing anterior cruciate ligament augmentation repair and those undergoing autologou hamstring tendon single-bundle reconstruction
10.3760/cma.j.cn115396-20250613-00155
- VernacularTitle:前交叉韧带增强修复与自体腘绳肌腱单束重建患者关节功能与放射结局对比
- Author:
Hong ZHANG
1
;
Chunlei WU
;
Fuji REN
Author Information
1. 中国人民解放军联勤保障部队第983医院骨科，天津 300142
- Keywords:
Anterior cruciate ligament;
Knee joint;
Ligaments;
Bony callus;
Pain
- From:
International Journal of Surgery
2025;52(11):773-780
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective:To explore the impact of anterior cruciate ligament(ACL) augmented repair versus autologous hamstring tendon single-bundle reconstruction on long-term joint function and radiological outcomes in patients with ACL tear.Methods:A prospective study was conducted, including medical records of 100 patients with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears admitted to the 983rd Hospital of the Joint Logistic Support Force of the Chinese People′s Liberation Army from January 2020 to January 2023. There were 68 males and 32 females, who were aged from 35 to 63 years old, with a mean age of (44.73±6.31) years. The lesion was on the left side in 41 cases and on the right side in 59 cases. According to the Sherman classification, 43 cases were type Ⅰ and 57 cases were type Ⅱ. Patients were sequentially numbered according to admission order, and a random integer generator was used to assign random numbers (1 or 2). Patients assigned "1" were included in the Group 1, while those assigned "2" were allocated to the Group 2, with 50 cases in each group.The Group 1 received ACL augmented repair, while the Group 2 was treated with autologous hamstring tendon single-bundle reconstruction. After treatment, the two groups were compared in terms of knee joint function[International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score], motor function(Tegner score), knee joint stability(pivot shift test) at 12 and 24 months after surgery; the incidence of active pain[visual analog scale (VAS) score] at 1-3 months, 4-6 months, 7-12 months, and 13~24 months after surgery; radiological outcomes; and the rate of secondary revision. Measurement data with normal distribution were expressed as mean ± standard deviation( ± s), and comparisons between the two groups were performed using t-test. Comparisons among multiple time points within the group were conducted using repeated measures analysis of variance. Count data were presented as cases and percentages [ n(%)], and comparisons between groups were made using the chi-square test. Ranked data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results:As of the last follow-up, a total of 45 patients were included in Group 1 (the repair group), and 48 patients were included in Group 2 (the reconstruction group). At 12 and 24 months postoperatively, the IKDC scores in the repair group showed significant improvements compared to preoperative values ( t =11.29, P<0.05; t=14.86, P<0.05), as did the Tegner scores ( t=36.13, P<0.05; t=52.21, P<0.05). Additionally, pivot-shift test results demonstrated significant improvement ( χ2=79.33, P<0.05; χ2=90.00, P<0.05). Similarly, in the reconstruction group, both IKDC scores ( t=10.02, P<0.05; t=13.73, P<0.05) and Tegner scores ( t=44.87, P<0.05; t=60.65, P<0.05) significantly increased at 12 and 24 months postoperatively, with pivot-shift test results also showing marked improvement ( χ2=89.33, P<0.05; χ2=96.00, P<0.05). However, no statistically significant differences were observed between the repair and reconstruction groups in Tegner scores or pivot-shift test results at either time point. However, no statistically significant differences were observed between the two groups for any outcome at either time point (IKDC: t=0.93, P>0.05 at 12 months; t=0.75, P>0.05 at 24 months; Tegner: t=1.52, P>0.05; t=0.77, P>0.05; pivot-shift: χ2=1.16, P>0.05; χ2=1.34, P>0.05). The duration of postoperative activity-related pain was significantly shorter in the repair group (3.24±0.61 months) compared to the reconstruction group (4.48±0.59 months) ( t=9.95, P<0.05). During postoperative months 1-3 and 4-6, pain levels were also significantly lower in the repair group ( t=5.32, P<0.05; t=8.71, P<0.05). However, no statistically significant differences in pain levels were observed between groups at postoperative 7th to 12th months ( t=0.40, P>0.05) and 13th to 24th months ( t=0.37, P>0.05). At 24th months postoperatively, the majority of patients in both groups exhibited ligament thicknesses approaching normal levels, with fibro-osseous bridging between the ligament and bone tunnel walls. The revision rates were 2.2% (1/45) in the repair group and 2.1% (1/48) in the reconstruction group, with no statistically significant difference between groups ( χ2=0.00, P>0.05). Conclusions:The effects of ACL augmented repair for treating ACL tears on patients′ knee joint function, knee joint stability, motor function, and ligament healing are comparable to those of autologous hamstring tendon single-bundle reconstruction. However, ACL augmented repair can reduce the incidence of early active pain in patients.
