Vol. 11, Issue 3 (2025)

Background: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture is a common sports-related injury requiring surgical reconstruction. Patellar bone tendon (PT) and hamstring tendon (HT) autografts are widely used, but debate persists regarding their superiority in terms of functional outcome and complications.
Aim: To compare the functional results and postoperative complications of ACL reconstruction using PT and HT autografts.
Materials and Methods: A comparative study was conducted on 40 patients (aged 18-60 years), who underwent arthroscopic ACL reconstruction with either PT or HT autograft between June 2018 and November 2022. Patients were followed up at 3, 6 and 12 months. Clinical assessment included Lachman and Pivot shift tests. Functional outcomes were evaluated using the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) and Lysholm knee scores. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS v23, with p<0.05 considered significant.
Results: Both groups showed significant postoperative improvement in stability: Lachman scores improved from 2.3 to 1.2 in PT and 2.4 to 1.4 HT. Pivot shift improved from 1.4 to 0.3 in PT and 1.6 to 0.4 in HT (all p<0.05 within groups, no intergroup difference). Functional outcomes were similar, with IKDC improving from 50.2 to 85.6 (PT) and 52.8 to 87.1 (HT). Lysholm score improved from 50.0 to 83.6 in PT and 53.1 to 82.2 in HT at 1 year (p>0.05). Complications were higher in PT (70% vs 20%, P=0.047), mainly anterior knee pain (50%) and superficial infection (20%), while only one donor site infection occurred in HT; most HT patients (80%) had no complications.
Conclusion: Both PT and HT autografts provide comparable functional recovery and stability at 1 year following ACL reconstruction. HT autograft demonstrated a lower complication rate in this study, suggesting that it may be a preferable option in selected patients.