Revision anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) can be achieved in a single-stage or two-stage approach. Single-stage revisions have several advantages, including one less operation, decreased cost, and a quicker recovery for patients. Revision ACLR can be complicated by malpositioned or dilated bone tunnels, which makes a single-stage revision more challenging or sometimes necessitates a two-stage approach. The use of fast-setting bone graft substitutes (BGS) has been described in recent literature as a strategy to potentially help address this problem in the setting of single-stage revision ACLR. The aim of this study was to evaluate patient-reported clinical outcomes of patients who have undergone single-stage revision ACLR using fast-setting BGS to address prior malpositioned or dilated tunnels. A retrospective review was conducted of the first nine consecutive patients who had undergone single-stage revision ACLR using a fast-setting BGS by a single surgeon between May 2017 and February 2020 with a minimum of 2-year follow-up. Patient-reported clinical outcomes, including the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) questionnaire, the Tegner Lysholm Knee Scoring Scale, patient satisfaction questions, and the need for additional surgery were evaluated for this group between 26 and 49 months postoperative. Of the nine patients eligible for inclusion, eight patients (88.9%) were evaluated, and one was lost to follow-up. At an average follow-up of 37.9 months (range: 27.8–55.7), the mean postoperative IKDC score was 75.0 ± 11.3, and the mean postoperative Tegner Lysholm Knee Score was 83.0 ± 17.6. None of the patients required additional revision surgery or experienced construct failure at the time of follow-up. Seven of eight respondents (87.5%) had their preoperative expectations met with the surgery, and 100% of patients stated they would have the surgery again. Single-stage revision ACLR using fast-setting BGS showed overall positive clinical outcomes for this pilot group of patients at a minimum 2-year follow-up. In select revision scenarios, these materials may be a valuable option to allow the filling of defects without compromising fixation or clinical outcomes.

Received: 02 August 2023

Accepted: 23 October 2023

Article published online:
04 December 2023

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