Abstract
Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are one of the most common knee injuries, with over 100,000 ACL reconstructions performed in the United States every year. There are a number of graft options available for use in ACL repair. Hamstring tendon autografts are commonly used for ACL reconstruction. The advantages cited for autografts versus allografts are as follows: lower cost, no risk of immunological reactions, and better integration and remodeling. The healing response depends on the interplay between the bone and tendon in which collagen fiber continuity is re-established. This process is achieved by bony ingrowth of immature trabecular bone into immature, disorganized collagen fibers. Gradually, the collagen fibers reorganize into a parallel array until the tendoosseous junction is re-established. Studies of the healing response involved in ACL autograft reconstruction have been well documented in animal studies, but most studies of the graft healing response in human patients have been limited to biopsy specimens. To our knowledge, there are no examples in the literature of the ACL graft healing response in the tibial and femoral tunnels of human whole knee specimens. Beynnon et al, in a previous study, performed biomechanical testing on a recovered human ACL graft but did not specifically examine the healing response. We report the case of a young male patient who subsequently required resection of his knee for osteosarcoma of the tibia 4 months after ACL reconstruction with a hamstring tendon autograft. The patient and his parents provided written informed consent for print and electronic publication of this case report.
Published Version
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