Comparison of Posterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Using an All-Inside Technique With and Without Independent Suture Tape Reinforcement.

Background: Biomechanical studies support the use of suture tape reinforcement for limiting graft elongation and increasing strength in knee ligament reconstructions.
Purpose: To compare posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) laxity, complication and reoperation rates, and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) after all-inside single-bundle PCL reconstruction (PCLR) with versus without independent suture tape reinforcement.
Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.
Methods: A retrospective cohort study of consecutive patients who underwent primary, all-inside allograft single-bundle PCLR with and without independent suture tape reinforcement at a single academic institution from 2012 to 2019. Medical records were reviewed for patient characteristics, additional injuries, and concomitant procedures. PRO scores (including the International Knee Documentation Committee [IKDC], Tegner activity scale, and Lysholm scores), bilateral comparison kneeling radiographs, and physical examination findings were collected at a minimum of 2 years postoperatively.
Results: Included were 50 patients: 19 with suture tape reinforcement (mean age 30.6 ± 2.9 years) and 31 without suture tape reinforcement (control group; mean age 26.2 ± 1.6 years). One PCLR graft in the suture tape group failed. Posterior drawer examination revealed grade 1+ laxity in 4 of 19 (21%) of the suture tape cohort versus 6 of 31 (19%) of the control cohort ( P > .999). Bilateral kneeling radiographs showed similar side-to-side differences in laxity between the groups (suture tape vs control: mean, 1.9 ± 0.4 vs 2.6 ± 0.6 mm; P = .361). There were no statistically significant differences between the groups in postoperative IKDC (suture tape vs control: 79.3 vs 79.6; P = .779), Lysholm (87.5 vs 84.3; P = .828), or Tegner activity (5.6 vs 5.7; P = .562) scores.
Conclusion: All-inside single-bundle PCLR with and without independent suture tape reinforcement demonstrated low rates of graft failure, complications, and reoperations, with satisfactory PROs at a minimum 2-year follow-up. Radiographic posterior tibial translation was comparable between the 2 groups.
Competing Interests: One or more of the authors has declared the following potential conflict of interest or source of funding: Support was received from the Foderaro-Quattrone Musculoskeletal-Orthopaedic Surgery Research Innovation Fund. This study was partially funded by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases for the Musculoskeletal Research Training Program (grant T32AR56950). A.P. has received hospitality payments from Medical Device Business Services. A.J.K. has received grant support from DJO; consulting fees from Arthrex, JRF Ortho, and Responsive Arthroscopy; speaking fees from Arthrex; royalties from Arthrex and Responsive Arthroscopy; and honoraria from Vericel and JRF Ortho. A.P. is a board member for the Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation. M.J.S. has received education payments from Elite Orthopedics. B.A.L. has received education payments from Linvatec, consulting fees from Arthrex, speaking fees from Arthrex and Smith & Nephew, and royalties from Arthrex. AOSSM checks author disclosures against the Open Payments Database (OPD). AOSSM has not conducted an independent investigation on the OPD and disclaims any liability or responsibility relating thereto.
(© The Author(s) 2022.)