Abstract
Objective To compare the clinical outcomes of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction
using autografts with and without internal brace augmentation.
Methods Data from patients who underwent ACL reconstruction with hamstring and quadriceps
tendon autografts, with a minimum follow-up of one year, with or without internal
brace augmentation were collected prospectively analyzed retrospectively. The Lysholm
and Tegner functional scores were collected before and after surgery, as well as data
on postoperative complications. For the comparison of means of the two groups, we
used the Student t test or the Mann-Whitney non-parametric test, when the assumption of normality of
the data was rejected.
Results In total, 55 patients underwent ACL reconstruction with internal brace augmentation
and another 55 patients underwent ACL reconstruction without internal brace augmentation.
The patients were aged between 16 and 63 years (mean of 32.7 ± 11.4 years). A total
of 62 patients (56.4%) underwent ACL reconstruction with hamstring graft, and 19 patients
(17.3%), with quadriceps tendon graft, with a diameter variation of 7 mm to 11 mm
(mean of 8.95 ± 0.83 mm). The postoperative scores did not differ between the groups
(p > 0.05). Regarding the group submitted to ACL reconstruction with internal brace
augmentation, 4 patients had complications: @ cases of arthrofibrosis, 2 (3.7%); 1
case of rerupture (1.8%); and 1 case of thrombosis (1.8%). In the group submitted
to ACL reconstruction without augmentation, 7 patients manifested complications: 2
cases of arthrofibrosis (3.9%); 4 cases of rerupture (7.3%); and 1 case of infection
(2%).
Conclusion The results of the present study show that fewer cases of ACL rerupture were observed
after reconstruction with internal brace augmentation when compared with ACL reconstruction
without augmentation, although no differences in functional scores were found.
Keywords anterior cruciate ligament - anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction - knee injuries
- treatment outcome
