ENDOSCOPIC ANTERIOR CRUCIATE RECONSTRUCTION WITH HAMSTRINGS USING THE ‘AUSTRALIAN’ TECHNIQUE: A PROSPECTIVE STUDY

Purpose of Study: To prospectively evaluate the outcome of single surgeon endoscopic anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction with quadrupled hamstring tendons drilling femoral tunnel independent of the tibial tunnel.Methods and Results: 28 patients underwent endoscopic ACL reconstruction by a single surgeon in a DGH setting. All patients had symptomatic ACL deficiency proven by either MRI or previous arthroscopy. All patients were prospectively scored using the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score, the Lysholm score, Tegner activity score and the SF36 score. In each patient, an ipsilateral four-strand semi-tendinosus/gracilis tendon graft was used. The femoral tunnel was drilled through the anteromedial portal independent of the tibial tunnel as per the technique described by Leo Pinczewski, Sydney, Australia. This technique was used to place the femoral end of the graft in a more lateral position than obtained by the traditional transtibial technique. The ACL graft was fixed us...