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ACL Graft Failure

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The ACL-Deficient Knee

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Abstract

ACL graft failure resulting in revision surgery represents a challenging task to the orthopedic surgeon. Failure due to technical problems in primary ACL reconstruction seems to be the most frequent reasons for revision surgery. Injury to the graft during harvest or fixation, misplaced bone tunnels, and failure of fixation are the most common problems. The reported rate of true traumatic reinjuries following ACL reconstructions is consistently lower. Biologic failure classified as lack of incorporation of the graft as evidence by early failure without a significant traumatic episode or obvious significant technical problems with the previous reconstruction has also been reported in a number of cases. Additional ligamentous pathologies unaddressed during the initial ACL surgery were also found to be associated with prolonged ACL graft failure. The key to success in revision surgery is careful planning of the procedure. This consists of analyzing the causes of failure, evaluating the index procedure, and addressing additional relevant pathologies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sportsclinic Austria, Olympiastr.39, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria

    Christian Fink M.D. & Christian Hoser M.D.

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  1. Christian Fink M.D.
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  2. Christian Hoser M.D.
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Correspondence to Christian Fink M.D. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Depto. Cirugia Ortopédica, Hospital Arnau de Vilanova, c/San Clemente 12, Valencia, 46015, Spain

    Vicente Sanchis-Alfonso

  2. , Orthopaedic Surgery, Hospital de Sant Pau, St Antoni m Claret 167, Barcelona, 08025, Spain

    Joan Carles Monllau

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Fink, C., Hoser, C. (2013). ACL Graft Failure. In: Sanchis-Alfonso, V., Monllau, J. (eds) The ACL-Deficient Knee. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-4270-6_28

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-4270-6_28

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  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4471-4269-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4471-4270-6

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