ANTERIOR CRUCIATE LIGAMENT RECONSRUCTION IN CHILDREN: OUTCOMES OF QUADRICEPS VERSUS HAMSTRING AUTOGRAFTS

BACKGROUND: Emerging evidence has suggested reduced donor site pain and equivalent/improved functional outcomes in adults undergoing ACL reconstruction (ACLR) with quadriceps (QT) autograft versus hamstrings (HT) grafts. No studies in children comparing QT versus HT autografts have assessed postoperative strength or active range of motion (AROM) in addition to more commonly accepted patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). HYPOTHESIS/PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to directly compare clinical and patient-reported outcomes of pediatric patients undergoing QT and HT autograft ACL reconstructions. We hypothesized that use of QT autografts would result in similar clinical and PROMs to HT autografts. METHODS: A retrospective cohort analysis of pediatric patients (≤18 years) undergoing primary transphyseal ACLR from 1/2018-12/2019 without concomitant multiligamentous reconstruction was conducted. Outcomes at 3 and 6 months, including isokinetic strength testing, PROMIS and IKDC scores, and AROM were compared between patients receiving either HT or QT autografts. Hamstrings to quadriceps (H/Q) ratios were calculated using the ratio of the respective peak torque values normalized to body weight. Multiple imputation was utilized to minimize bias resulting from missed follow-up appointments. RESULTS: 84 patients met inclusion criteria (Table 1). The 40 patients receiving QT were more often male (62.5% vs 34.1%, p=0.009). There were no differences in operative time (p=0.053) or proportion of patients requiring meniscus repair (p=0.958). At 3 months postoperative, those with HT had lower H/Q ratios (62.2 ± 15.8 vs 78.6 ± 19.9, p<0.001) and limb symmetry index (LSI) in flexion (86.1 ± 17.1 vs 94.3 ± 17.6, p=0.042), while patients with QT had lower LSI in extension (66.8 ± 13.2 vs 77.3 ± 12.6, p=0.001). The H/Q ratio was also lower at 6 months among patients receiving HT (59.7 ± 11.2 vs 66.3 ± 8.2, p=0.004). IKDC, PROMIS physical function, and PROMIS pain interference scores were not different between cohorts at either 3 or 6 months. There was no difference in AROM in flexion or extension between groups at all postoperative visits. Patients with QT were more likely to have a postoperative wound issue (20.0% vs 2.3%, p=0.012). CONCLUSION: Significant differences in quadriceps and hamstrings strength at 3 months were observed for ACLR patients by graft type. This contributed to higher H/Q ratios at 3 and 6 months postoperatively for patients receiving QT. QT grafts appear to have a higher rate of postoperative infection/wound issues. TABLES/FIGURES: