This is the second installment of this series. Dr. Howard Luks and I discuss the various ACL graft options for ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) reconstruction surgery.
ACL Graft Options
ACL reconstructions replace the torn ACL (See a video of surgery here). This procedure is very common. During the surgery a graft is used in place of the native ACL. This graft can be tissue from somewhere else on your knee (Autograft) or from someone else, actually a cadaver (Allograft). The two most common autografts are patellar tendon grafts and Hamstring grafts. The literature has shown that autografts tend to do much better in regard to rerupture and failure rates than allografts, particularly in the young and active. The two common autografts tend to have similar success rate but differ in their potential problems.
Listen to us discuss these and other issues about ACL grafts. I hope you find it helpful. Let us know if you have any questions. We’d love to hear from you.