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Evidence summaries

Patellar Versus Hamstring Tendons in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Patellar tendon reconstruction may lead to higher post-operative activity levels and greater static stability than hamstring tendon technique. Level of evidence: "C"

A systematic review 1 including 4 studies with a total of 424 subjects was abstracted in DARE. Both the patellar tendon and semitendinous and gracilis tendon techniques, as performed in the late 1980s and early 1990s, yielded good results. However, patellar tendon reconstruction led to higher post-operative activity levels and greater static stability than hamstring reconstruction; this result was statistically significant, based on this meta-analysis.

Comment: The quality of evidence is downgraded by review quality (limited literature search, methods of assessing the validity of the included studies were not described).

References

  • Yunes M, Richmond JC, Engels EA, Pinczewski LA. Patellar versus hamstring tendons in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: A meta-analysis. Arthroscopy 2001 Mar;17(3):248-257. [PubMed] [DARE]

Primary/Secondary Keywords