A Thesis submitted to The University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine.Background: The incidence of anterior cruciate ligament tears and subsequent reconstructions in the pediatric population has significantly increased over the last twenty years.2 Hamstring autograft reconstruction is a common approach to ACL reconstruction in the pediatric population because of their open physes and the reduced risk of re-tear with the use of autograft as opposed to allograft tissue.4 In recent publications, the size of the autograft has also been shown to be a significant factor influencing the risk of re-tear after ACL reconstruction with autograft.10 We attempted to determine patient specific factors that would allow us to estimate the patient’s probable quadrupled hamstring graft diameter preoperatively. Characteristics that we evaluated included age, sex, height, weight, BMI, and graft diameter determined intraoperatively.
Conclusions: ACL hamstring autograft diameter in a pediatric population can most accurately be predicted using the patient’s height. These results are valuable in determining the treatment plan for children undergoing ACL reconstruction, and provide useful insight for counseling families prior to ACL reconstruction.This item is part of the College of Medicine - Phoenix Scholarly Projects 2018 collection. For more information, contact the Phoenix Biomedical Campus Library at [email protected]
