Role of Anthropometric Data in Assessing Hamstring Graft Size in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Background and Objective: Preoperative information of hamstring graft size for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACL) is critical for making optimal graft selections. The aim of the present study was to view whether anthropometric parameters including height, weight, BMI and thigh circumference have any bearing on the size of hamstring tendon grafts used in anterior cruciate ligament replacement.

Methods: Pre-operative anthropometric measurements were taken on 72 patients undergoing primary ACL reconstruction, including age, gender, height, weight, BMI, and thigh circumference. The Person correlation coefficient was used to assess the correlation of these anthropometric variables and simple logistic regression was used to evaluate the correlation of these anthropometric variables on the size of the graft that was acquired.

Results: Gracilis tendon [GT] length correlates with height (r 1/4 0,432), and semitendinosus [ST] length correlates with thigh circumference (r 1/4 0,255). Women's graft diameter (7.16 ± 0.82 mm) smaller than that of men (7.39 ± 0.63 mm) (p > 0.05), although not statistically significant. The diameter of the autograft was shown to be strongly linked with parameters.

Conclusion: As a consequence, our findings suggest that anthropometric measures can be used in the preoperative planning and prediction of hamstring graft length and diameter in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.