A prospective comparison of bone-patellar tendon-bone and hamstring tendon grafts for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction in male patients

The aim of the study was to compare the results after arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction using central-third, bone-patellar tendon-bone (BPTB Group) (n = 45) and four-strand semitendinosus/gracilis (ST/G Group) (n = 78) autografts in male patients. The type of study is non-randomised, prospective consecutive series. A consecutive series of 126 male patients, all with unilateral ACL ruptures, was included in the study. In both groups, interference screw fixation of the graft was used at both ends and 123/126 (97%) of the patients returned for the follow-up examination after a period of 25 (23–33) months. The pre-operative assessments in both groups were similar in terms of the Tegner activity level, the Lysholm knee scoring scale, KT-1000 measurements, one-leg-hop test and knee-walking test. A significant reduction in knee laxity as measured with the KT-1000 arthrometer, compared with the pre-operative assessments, was found in both groups (P < 0.001). No significant differences in the post-operative knee-laxity measurements were found between the groups. Both groups had a significantly improved functional outcome at follow-up in terms of the Lysholm knee scoring scale, Tegner activity level and one-leg-hop test. The BPTB Group had a significantly higher Tegner activity level at follow-up, compared with the ST/G Group (P = 0.02). Moreover, the patients in the BPTB Group were significantly more likely to have a Tegner activity level of 6 or above (P = 0.03). Otherwise, no significant differences were found between the two study groups at the 2-year follow-up. Two years after an ACL reconstruction, the two groups displayed no significant differences in terms of functional outcome and knee laxity. However, more patients in the BPTB Group returned to a higher Tegner activity level than that in the ST/G Group.