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Sex Differences in the Residual Patellar Tendon After Harvesting Its Central Third for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction
Author(s) -
Kanamoto Takashi,
Tanaka Yoshinari,
Yonetani Yasukazu,
Kita Keisuke,
Amano Hiroshi,
Okamoto Kensuke,
Shino Konsei,
Horibe Shuji
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of ultrasound in medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.574
H-Index - 91
eISSN - 1550-9613
pISSN - 0278-4297
DOI - 10.1002/jum.14419
Subject(s) - medicine , patellar tendon , tendon , anterior cruciate ligament , anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction , patellar ligament , ligament , patella , anatomy , surgery
Objectives Some studies have found that sex can affect the clinical results after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. We hypothesized that sex would significantly affect the healing of the postoperative patellar tendon. This study evaluated the patellar tendon after bone–patellar tendon–bone autograft harvest, specifically with regard to sex‐dependent differences. Methods At 6 months postoperatively, an ultrasonographic evaluation was performed. We measured the residual donor site gap width between tendon tissues and the thickness of newly formed nontendinous tissue in the gap. In addition, the cross‐sectional area of tendon tissue was measured. The ratios between the operated and contralateral sides were calculated, and the sexes were compared. A paired Student t test was performed, with P < .05 considered statistically significant. Results The population of 52 patients (32 male and 20 female) had a mean age ± SD of 23 ± 8 years. We observed no significant sex‐dependent differences in the residual donor site gap and the thickness of newly formed nontendinous tissue when calculating ratios to the contralateral tendon. The mean cross‐sectional area of tendon tissue was 101 ± 26 mm 2 (male, 114 ± 26 mm 2 ; female, 80 ± 16 mm 2 ). When the ratios to the contralateral tendon were calculated, male patients had significantly higher cross‐sectional area ratios than female patients (male, 124% ± 20%; female, 100% ± 19%, P = .024). Conclusions We have reported a dramatic increase in the cross‐sectional area of patellar tendon tissue during the first 6 months after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with a bone–patellar tendon–bone autograft, which was more prominent in male patients than in female patients. This difference might have contributed to the sex‐dependent variation in clinical outcomes.