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First published on April 16, 2004, doi:10.1177/0363546503261739
This version was published on June 1, 2004
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The American Journal of Sports Medicine 32:993-997 (2004)
© 2004 American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine

The Effect of Length on the Structural Properties of an Achilles Tendon Graft as Used in Posterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Louis E. DeFrate, MS*,{dagger}, Alexander van der Ven*,{ddagger}, Thomas J. Gill, MD* and Guoan Li, PhD*,§

From * Bioengineering Laboratory, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, {dagger} Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, and {ddagger} Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts

§ Address correspondence to Guoan Li, PhD, Bioengineering Laboratory, GRJ 1215, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA 02114.

Background: The clinical outcomes of posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction are varied. No previous studies have investigated the effect of graft length on the structural properties of the graft.

Hypothesis: Graft length significantly affects the structural properties of posterior cruciate ligament grafts.

Study Design: Controlled laboratory study.

Methods: Eight Achilles tendon grafts were tested under tensile loads up to 400 N at 3 different lengths: long (75 mm), medium (48 mm), and short (34 mm). These 3 lengths represent midtunnel fixation, inlay fixation, and fixation near the ligament insertions.

Results: Shortening the graft from both long to medium and from medium to short increased the stiffness by approximately 25%. Long and medium grafts displaced significantly more than medium and short grafts, respectively.

Conclusion: The effective length of a graft, which is determined by where it is fixed, should be considered an important variable in posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

Key Words: posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) reconstruction • Achilles tendon graft • soft tissue biomechanics






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Copyright © 2004 by the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine.