Effects of remnant tissue preservation on the tendon autograft in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: Biomechanical and histological study with a sheep model

摘要

Chronic Achilles Tendon Rupture (CATR) results in symptomatic insufficiency of the Achilles tendon with evident impairment in ankle function. Surgery is required and an open procedure is usually performed. There is some experience with arthroscopic transfer of Flexor Hallucis Longus (ATFHL) but most authors recommended this technique only on low demanding patients. The purpose of this paper is to present our early experience using ATFHL on athletic patients. Material and Background: No studies using an ACL reconstruction model with large animals have been conducted to clarify the effect of remnant tissue preservation on outcome after ACL reconstruction. We have hypothesized that, remnant preservation may accelerate revascularization and reinnervation in the graft, and significantly improve the anterior translation of the knee at 12 weeks after surgery. The purpose of this study was to test these hypotheses.