Ligament reconstruction is required in many cases after an articular ligament injury, and the ligament reconstruction material can be either autologous or allograft tendon. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each of these two tendons are explained in detail below for patients’ reference.
Autologous tendon: Autologous tendons are mostly used from the N cord tendon of the same limb.
The advantages are.
1, good compatibility with own tissue, healing is slightly faster
2, fast tissue shaping process
3, economic, no additional material costs
Disadvantages.
1, it takes some time to take the autologous tendon, and the surgical process may extend for about 20 minutes
2.The length and thickness of the tendon cannot be judged before the surgery, if it is too short to meet the needs of the surgery, the ligament is too thin and the surgery effect is not good
3.Tendon extraction may damage the infrapatellar branch of the saphenous nerve and cause numbness in front of the knee.
4.Tendon extraction incision is small and may occasionally cause hematoma
5. The postoperative period will result in partial loss of knee function, as shown by a 30% decrease in internal rotation muscle strength and a 10% decrease in flexor muscle strength.
Allograft tendon: Allograft tendon is mostly used for allograft semitendinosus tendon, Achilles tendon and anterior tibial tendon.
Advantages.
1.Saving surgery time and reducing the risk of surgical anesthesia
2.No tendon incision, small surgical trauma, beautiful
3.After healing, the healing effect is similar to that of the autologous tendon.
4.The preoperative tendon thickness and length can be selected to meet the needs of different patients.
Disadvantages.
1, theoretically there is a risk of disease transmission, but the current technical conditions have a 1 in 8 million chance of infection, which is almost negligible
2. There is usually no rejection of human tendon grafts. However, there is no rejection of body specificity, and the body temperature after tendon transplantation may be slightly higher than that of autologous tendon. Usually the difference is not obvious after the operation.
3. The healing process is slightly slower. A conservative rehabilitation process should be used after surgery. Premature intense exercise should not be performed, which may easily cause laxity of the reconstructed ligaments.
4.Allograft tendon requires extra cost
In summary, allograft tendon and autologous tendon have their own advantages and shortcomings in different aspects. Patients should choose the type of tendon according to the actual situation of their own body. For young patients who are not financially well off and are eager to return to play, autograft tendons are a better choice, while for those who are financially well off, do not want to receive more injuries and do not have an urgent need to return to play, allograft tendons can be chosen. Finally, regardless of the type of tendon used, it is necessary to follow the medical advice for gradual rehabilitation to avoid causing surgical failure.