Proposed Autograft Superiority to Allograft Use in Return to Sport Rates Following Revision ACL Reconstruction: A Literature Review

The number of primary Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) reconstruction surgeries performed in the United States has drastically increased in recent years to approximately 200,000 cases annually and is a common procedure for athletes of any age and level of skill/play [1]. Despite improvements in patients’ surgical outcomes, primary ACL reconstruction only has a success rate of 75% 97% [2, 3, 4]. As such, revision ACL reconstruction has paralleled this increase in the number of primary reconstructions; there may be anywhere between 3,000 and 10,000 revision ACL reconstructions performed per year [2,3]. Revision surgery is indicated for patients who have experienced postoperative complications such as infection, graft rejection, recurrent instability due to graft failure, surgical technique failures during primary reconstruction, or any combination of the above [2,5]. Revision may also be indicated in athletes who, after a failed primary reconstruction, wish to return to sports which require frequent cutting and pivoting [2,5].