Estimating the adequacy of the free quadriceps tendon autograft length using anthropometric measures in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

• Published in: Archives of orthopaedic and trauma surgery 2022-08, Vol.142 (8), p.2001-2010, Article 2001
• Main Authors: Yuksel, Yavuz, Kose, Ozkan, Torun, Ebru, Ergun, Tarkan, Yardibi, Fatma, Sarikcioglu, Levent
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Arthroscopy and Sports Medicine; Body mass index; Body measurements; Clinical outcomes; Knee; Ligaments; Magnetic resonance imaging; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Orthopedics; Surgery; Tendons; Trauma
• ISSN: 1434-3916; 0936-8051; 1434-3916
• DOI: 10.1007/s00402-021-04197-0

Objective This prospective study aimed to predict the adequacy of free quadriceps tendon (QT) autograft length using simple anthropometric measures. Materials and methods One hundred and eighty-four consecutive patients who underwent knee high-resolution MRI were enrolled in this study. The QT and native anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) length were measured using the oblique sagittal section. The adequate free QT length was calculated using the native ACL length and 30 mm for femoral and tibial tunnels in each patient. A QT shorter than the calculated length was considered inadequate. Age, sex, height, weight, body mass index, thigh circumference, and activity score were used to predict the adequacy of QT length with regression analysis. Results There were 92 men and 92 women with a mean age of 34.1 ± 8.0 years (range 18–45). The mean QT and ACL lengths were 69.0 ± 8.8 mm (range 48.1–90.3 mm) and 35.6 ± 2.5 mm (range 29.2–42.6 mm), respectively. The QT and the ACL lengths were longer in men ( p