Functional Outcome of Lateral Extraarticular Tenodesis (LET) Procedure in Addition to Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Metaanalysis

Objectives The aim of the present study is to systematically review and analyze the functional outcome of lateral extraarticular tenodesis (LET) procedure in addition to anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) in studies with a high level of evidence. Methods We performed a literature search for clinical studies comparing the LET method as an augmentation to ACL reconstruction with ACL reconstruction alone. The primary outcomes were the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score, the Lysholm score, and graft failures. Continuous variables were reported as means and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results Six clinical studies with 1,049 patients were included in the metaanalysis. The follow-up period was, in average, 24 months (range, 6–63 months). The addition of the LET procedure to ACLR results in better functional outcome based on the IKDC score ( p < 0.05). Graft failure was found to be lower in the ACLR plus LET group (16 of 342 patients) compared with the ACLR-only group (46 of 341 patients) ( p < 0.05). Conclusion There is high-level evidence that LET procedure in addition to ACLR is preferable in terms of functional outcome and graft failure.