Is contralateral autogenous patellar tendon graft a better choice than ipsilateral for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction in young sportsmen? A randomized controlled trial

Contralateral hamstring autografts do not provide benefit compared to ipsilateral hamstring autografts in primary or revision anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: a systematic review

PURPOSE

To evaluate the clinical outcomes of primary or revision ACL reconstruction (ACLR) after contralateral hamstring autografts versus ipsilateral hamstring autograft harvest.

METHODS

Three databases (MEDLINE, PubMed and EMBASE) were searched from inception to April 27th, 2023 for studies investigating contralateral hamstring autografts in primary or revision ACLR. The authors adhered to the PRISMA and R-AMSTAR guidelines as well as the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. Data on demographics, strength measures, patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), and rates of positive Lachman test, positive pivot-shift test and graft rupture were extracted. PROMs included Lysholm, International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) and Tegner scores.

RESULTS

Nine studies comprising 371 patients were included in this review. In primary ACLR, there were no significant differences between contralateral and ipsilateral groups in isokinetic hamstring torque in the non-ACLR limb or isokinetic quadriceps torque in both limbs when tested at 60, 90, 120 or 180 degrees/second. Isokinetic hamstring torque in the non-ACLR limb was significantly weaker in the contralateral group at six months for primary ACLR; however, these deficits did not persist. There were no significant differences in postoperative median Tegner scores and Lysholm scores between contralateral and ipsilateral groups in primary ACLR. There were no significant differences in postoperative median Tegner, mean Lysholm and IKDC scores between groups in revision ACLR. There were no significant differences in positive Lachman, positive pivot-shift and rupture rates in primary ACLR between groups. Rates of positive Lachman and pivot-shift were slightly higher in the contralateral than ipsilateral group for revision ACLR.

CONCLUSION

Contralateral hamstring autografts results in comparable muscle strength to ipsilateral hamstring autografts, with the exception of weaker hamstring strengths in the early postoperative period. Patient-reported outcome measures were similar between the two groups across both primary and revision ACLR, with rates of instability and failure being similar between groups for primary ACLR. Contralateral hamstring grafts do not provide additional benefit when compared to ipsilateral options for either primary or revision ACLR, and should be used only in select circumstances including insufficient ipsilateral hamstring grafts or situations where quadriceps or patella autografts are not optimal.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level IV.

Contralateral grafts have comparable efficacy to ipsilateral grafts in anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions: a systematic review

PURPOSE

To perform a systematic review of the clinical outcomes of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction using either contralateral or ipsilateral tendon autografts.

METHODS

A systematic review of literature published from inception to December 9, 2022, in multiple databases (PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library) was conducted in accordance with the 2020 PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews) guidelines. Two reviewers independently screened the literature, extracted the data, performed the risk of bias assessment and assessed the study quality. At least one of the following outcomes was evaluated for each study: muscle strength (isometric strength of the quadriceps or hamstring muscles, isokinetic peak flexion torque of the hamstring, or isokinetic peak extension torque of the hamstring), knee laxity examination, Lysholm score, pivot shift, International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score, Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), Lachman test result, return to sports time, or incidence of complications. A random effects model was used for all analyses.

RESULTS

Four hundred scientific manuscripts were recovered in the initial search. After screening, 12 studies (2 randomized controlled trials, 9 cohort studies, and 1 case- control study) met the search criteria for the qualitative analysis. Among them, 9 cohort studies were used for the quantitative analysis. The results showed few statistically significant differences in terms of muscle strength (contralateral group versus ipsilateral group or donor site group versus ipsilateral group or donor site group versus nonoperative group), Lysholm score, and return to sports time. A comparison showed no significant differences in knee laxity, IKDC score, Tegner activity score, Lachman test score, or incidence of complication, or contralateral rupture.

CONCLUSIONS

In anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, the contralateral autologous tendon has a similar effect as the ipsilateral autologous tendon.