INTEGRATION OF HAMSTRING TENDON GRAFT WITH BONE IN RECONSTRUCTION OF THE ANTERIOR CRUCIATE LIGAMENT

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction using four-strand hams tring graft with round-headed, cannulated, interference (RCI) screw fi xation requires osteointegration of the tendon graft. This report desc ribes the histology at the bone-tendon junction of two specimens retri eved from patients undergoing revision surgery after traumatic mid-sub stance ACL graft rupture at 6 and 10 weeks after initial reconstructio n. Revision was performed at 12 and 15 weeks. Integration of the graft was evident by observation of collagen fiber continuity between bone and tendon. This histology plus the low incidence of early graft failu re suggest that free tendon autograft attached to bone by RCI screw al lows adequate osteointegration between 6 and 15 weeks after surgery.