Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with semitendinosus graft, comparative study of two tibial fixation devices.

Abstract

Many options are available concerning the graft fixation in ACL reconstruction, one of them being a suspensory device. Our study aimed to compare the strength of two different devices of fixation (suspensory device vs screw) on the tibia. We enrolled 80 patients older than 18 years with an isolated ACL tear confirmed at the MRI, divided into two comparative groups for a prospective study. The only factor which changed was the tibial fixation. The surgical treatment, performed by a unique surgeon, used the same inside-out technique for the two groups, with a ST4-strand graft. Various intraoperative parameters were studied like the time of the tourniquet, the diameter of the graft or an associated meniscus tear. The AP knee laxity was evaluated at 6 months and 1 year after the surgery by a TELOS test. We also compared the two groups with subjective and objective surveys. We can conclude that the suspensory device can offer the same strengthening.