Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: a new technique for Achilles tendon allograft preparation.

We describe a new technique in Achilles tendon allograft preparation for use in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction that allows for secure bony interference fixation on each side of the joint and aperture fixation for all patients. In addition, preparation of the graft in this manner avoids some problems that are frequently encountered with patellar tendon allografts, including graft tunnel mismatch and limited availability. Previous studies have reported successful results with Achilles tendon allograft use in ACL reconstruction with soft tissue fixation in the tibial tunnel. Bony interference fixation on the tibial side can be achieved by suturing a free bone plug to the tendon end of an Achilles allograft. We use a 9-mm circular oscillating saw to harvest a free 30-mm length bone plug from the remaining calcaneal bone block. This is then sutured directly to the tendon end of a bone-Achilles tendon allograft with the use of No. 1 nonabsorbable suture placed through 3 equally spaced drill holes in the free bone plug. Tendon length between the bone plugs can be individually set for each patient at a distance equivalent to the length of the native ACL (intra-articular distance between the femoral and tibial tunnels). After graft passage, the construct is tensioned and secured with interference screws, similar to a traditional bone-patellar tendon-bone graft. The senior author (S.G.) has performed 40 procedures with excellent results and reports no cases of tibial fixation failure. Biomechanical and long-term follow-up studies are in progress.