TDNet Discover

Background: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears are common and can be debilitating for the patient experiencing the injury. There are different graft choices when repairing an ACL such as allograft and autograft. It is important to repair the injury with the graft that will provide the best long-term results and reduce the possibility of a secondary tear in the future. Purpose: The research sought to determine if there is a difference between allograft and autograft in adults aged 19 or older regarding secondary ACL tear. Methods: An evidence based systematic review was conducted using UpToDate, PubMed, and Google Scholar. Documentation of each database search was tracked and reviewed by each researcher. Three articles were selected for this review based on selected inclusion and exclusion criteria. The researchers each performed a quality assessment to determine if the quality of research was “good” or “fair”. Finally, a data extraction of each article was performed to analyze the results of each included article to determine the outcome and comparison of autograft and allograft in ACLR. Results: The articles selected were a randomized controlled trial, a systematic review/metaanalysis, and a systematic review/meta-analysis. The 3 studies were rated as “good” in their quality assessment. The 3 studies provided support for autograft ACL repair being superior to allograft ACL repairs in adults aged 19 and older. Conclusion: Autografts are the preferred graft choice in ACL repairs for the adult population aged 19 and older. Choosing an autograft for this age group not only reduces the likelihood of graft retear in the future, but may also lead to better subjective scores of knee stability over time. Choosing a graft should be done on a patient-by-patient basis, and activity level is a factor to also v consider when deciding which graft to use. Future research should include more randomized controlled trials, longer follow-up, and a comprehensive population including ages 40 and older.