A Single-Surgeon 35-Year Experience With ACL Reconstruction Using Patellar Tendon Auto- and Allografts With the Transtibial Technique

Abstract

Background: Long-term follow-up for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) is limited due to heterogeneity in the number of techniques utilized, the number of surgeons included, and attrition bias. Purpose: To analyze a single surgeon's 35-year experience with ACLR using the transtibial technique, with an emphasis on temporal trends in graft selection and subanalyses on rates of revision surgery, contralateral ACLR, and nonrevision reoperation among different demographic cohorts of patients. Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: All patients who underwent arthroscopically assisted single-bundle ACLR between 1986 and 2021 were identified from a prospectively maintained single-surgeon registry. Outcomes of interest included revision, reoperation, and contralateral rupture rates. Results: A total of 2915 ACLRs were performed during the senior surgeon's career. The mean age for primary ACLR was 29.4 ± 14.8 years. During primary ACLR, 98.4% of patients received a central-third bone-patellar tendon-bone (BPTB) graft. Increasing patient age was associated with increasing allograft usage ( P < .01), with a significant temporal increase in allograft usage over the senior surgeon's career ( P < .01). There was a higher revision rate among younger patients ( P < .01), female patients aged 21 to 25 years ( P = .01), and patients who received an allograft during the primary procedure ( P = .04). The contralateral rupture rate showed no difference between sexes ( P = .34); however, patients who underwent ACLR with autograft had a greater rate of contralateral injury compared with those with allograft ( P < .01). The contralateral rupture rate was greater than the revision rate ( P < .01). The most common causes of nonrevision reoperation were failed meniscal repair, new meniscal tears, arthrofibrosis, and painful hardware removal. Conclusion: The findings of this single-surgeon registry reveal temporal trends in ACLR over a 35-year career. There was a trend toward increasing BPTB allograft use in ACLR, especially in older patients and revision cases. A greater revision rate was observed among younger patients, female patients, and those receiving allografts during primary surgery. Contralateral ACLR was more common than revision surgery.