Management of intraoperative complications associated with autogenous patellar tendon graft anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

With the increasing number of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstructions being performed each year in the United States, sound surgical technique and preoperative planning are essential to decrease complications. Most intraoperative complications associated with ACL surgery are preventable with adequate planning and a reproducible surgical technique. When an autogenous bone-patellar tendon-bone graft is used for ACL reconstruction, pitfalls may occur at each step during the surgical procedure--preoperative assessment, graft harvest, notch preparation, tunnel preparation, graft passage and fixation, and rehabilitation. An array of options should be available for fixation of a patellar tendon graft, as well as alternative graft sources and graft preparation techniques.