Abstract
PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of graft size and time between injury to surgery (TBIS) on static anterior tibial translation (SATT) and dynamic anterior tibial translation (DATT) after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. METHODS: A consecutive series of patients treated with primary ACL reconstruction using hamstring autograft was reviewed. Preoperative SATT, DATT and posterior tibial slope (PTS) were measured with a previously validated technique by two independent reviewers on lateral weight-bearing knee radiographs. Regression analysis was performed to assess the relationship between postoperative-preoperative SATT difference (Δ SATT) and postoperative-preoperative DATT difference (Δ DATT) with graft size and TBIS. RESULTS: In total, 66 patients were included in this study. The mean preoperative SATT and DATT were 2.41 (standard deviation [SD] 2.98) and 9.09 (SD 3.19), respectively. The mean postoperative SATT and DATT were 2.14 (SD 2.47) and 5.28 (SD 2.55), respectively. The mean graft size was 8.4 mm (SD 8.4; range 7.75-10), and the median TBIS was 3 months (range 1-275). Linear regression analysis showed no correlation between graft size and Δ SATT (p = 0.060) and Δ DATT (p = 0.979) and no correlation between TBIS and Δ SATT (p = 0.817) and Δ DATT (p = 0.811). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that larger graft sizes or shorter times between injury and reconstruction do not impact the reduction of SATT or DATT following ACL reconstruction. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, retrospective cohort study.