Evaluation of the peroneus longus tendon as an autologous graft in knee surgery

Abstract

Objectives Our hypothesis is that the peroneus longus (PL) is a great option for ligament reconstruction in the knee, and therefore the objective of the study is to determine if the use of this graft is safe and does not cause secondary damage to the harvested area. Methods A prospective study was conducted between April 2019 and September 2022. Patients who underwent any type of knee ligament reconstruction using the PL or just the anterior half (AHPL) as grafts were followed up. These patients were evaluated according to the Tegner–Lysholm score and the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) guidelines for functional evaluation of the knee and the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Score (AOFAS) and the Foot and Ankle Disability Index (FADI) for the functional evaluation of the ankle. Results Most patients had an increase in the IKDC score, Tegner–Lysholm score, AOFAS and FADI regardless of the graft used in the surgical procedure, with mean values at the 24-month follow-up of, respectively, 99.02± 1.02, 98.69± 1.08, 99.92± 0.27, and 99.92± 0.27 for those with PL grafts and 99.31± 0.54, 98.88± 0.95, 100± 0.00, and 100± 0.00 for those with AHPL grafts. The differences in the scores between the two graft groups during each of the follow-up periods were significant (P = 0.001). Conclusion The use of the peroneus longus tendon as a graft in knee surgeries was shown to be adequate for achieving good knee functional results.