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Dr. Johnson discusses whether a woman should use a patellar tendon or a hamstring graft for her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery.
Dr. Johnson:
I think those two grafts are clearly what we have found is the most common grafts used for the typical ACL tear. I think the majority of the surgeons in this country in the young, athletically active. So now let’s narrow that population a little bit to the high school/collegiate athlete that say plays soccer or women’s basketball.
I think the majority of people in that population probably still today in 2009 are going to do a patellar tendon allograft. However, equally as close would be a population that uses their hamstrings. And there have been numerous studies that looked at those two groups, and probably they are about the same outcome. So I think whatever you as the patient and you as the surgeon are comfortable with, that’s probably a safe graft for you, for you.
About Dr. Johnson, M.D.:
Dr. Darren L. Johnson, M.D., received his medical degree from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine. He completed his residency at the University of Southern California School of Medicine, Los Angeles and his fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Dr. Johnson is currently Professor and Chairman of Orthopaedic Surgery and Director of Sports Medicine at the University of Kentucky. His clinical interests include arthroscopy, knee and shoulder reconstruction and the double-bundle procedure for ACL repair.
Dr. Johnson was named among the Top Doctors for Women by Women’s Health magazine in 2008.
Visit Dr. Johnson at the University of Kentucky