Clinical effect of morphological changes in bone tunnels after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

Background: The effect of tunnel widening on clinical outcomes after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction has not been widely investigated. In this study, ACL reconstructions (ACL-Rs) were done by semitendinosus and gracilis tendon grafts and suspensory fixation on the femoral side. The aim was to study tunnel widening at the end of 1 year postoperative and correlate it with clinical outcomes. Materials and Methods: Fifty-five consecutive patients enrolled in the study underwent arthroscopic ACL-R. All were evaluated clinically using the Lysholm knee score and Tegner activity level preoperatively as well as during subsequent follow-up. Femoral and tibial tunnels were visualized with computed tomography scan which was performed at a mean duration of 1 year (range: 10–14 months). Results: The mean femoral tunnel diameter increased significantly (17.1%) from 8.03 ± 0.05 mm postoperatively to 9.04 ± 0.6 mm at 1 year; the tibial tunnel increased significantly (22.55%) from 9.04 ± 0.04 mm to 11.09 ± 0.8 mm at the same duration. No significant correlation could be established between tunnel widening and clinical evaluation scores. In both clinical evaluation scales, the overall improvement was noticed. Conclusions: Within a limit, neither femoral nor tibial tunnel widening affects the clinical outcome at 1 year of follow-up.