No bone ingrowth into the tibia tunnel in anterior cruciate ligament-reconstructed patients: A 1-year prospective quantified CT study of 10 patients reconstructed with an autologous bone-patellar tendon-bone graft

• Published in: Acta orthopaedica Vol. 72; no. 5; pp. 481 - 486
• Main Authors: Muren, Olle, Brosjö, Eva, Dahlstedt, Lars, Dahlborn, Mats, Dalén, Nils
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basingstoke Informa UK Ltd 2001; Taylor & Francis
• Subjects: Adult; Anterior Cruciate Ligament - surgery; Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries; Biological and medical sciences; Female; Humans; Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects); Joint Instability - surgery; Knee Injuries - surgery; Male; Medical sciences; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Osteoarticular system. Muscles; Prospective Studies; Radiodiagnosis. Nmr imagery. Nmr spectrometry; Reconstructive Surgical Procedures; Tendons - transplantation; Tibia - pathology; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Transplantation, Autologous; Knee; Human; Prognosis; Radiodiagnosis; Anatomical reconstruction; Bone remodeling; Anterior cruciate ligament; Orthopedic surgery; Treatment; Ligamentum patellae; Follow up study; Tibia; Medical imagery; Graft; Computerized axial tomography; Bone; Technique; Quantitative analysis
• ISSN: 1745-3674; 0001-6470; 1745-3682
• DOI: 10.1080/000164701753532817

10 patients with major instability symptoms due to an acute anterior cruciate ligament injury were operated on with a bone-patellar tendon-bone reconstruction. Tibial condyle bone mineral density (BMD), bone ingrowth and changes in diameter in the tibia bone tunnel were studied with quantified computed tomography (QCT) postoperatively and after 1, 3, 6 and 12 months. We found no sign of bone ingrowth in the form of increased bone mineral density (BMD) in the bone tunnels in any of the patients. The tunnel diameter increased in all patients during the first postoperative months. After 1 year, 5 patients had a smaller diameter than at the first postoperative examination, 2 had the same diameter as immediately after surgery and 2 patients had a larger diameter. A sclerotic zone developed in all patients along the perimeter of the tunnel during the 3-6 months of follow-up. The BMD in the tibial condyle decreased at 3 months; it then increased, but between 6 and 12 months, it levelled out and was slightly lower than postoperatively. In conclusion, we found no growth of bone into the tunnel and tendinous part of the graft during the first postoperative year.