NCT05876013

Brief Summary

Background: Bone-patellar tendon-bone (BPTB) and a double-looped semitendinosus gracilis (hamstring group) graft are commonly used for ACL reconstruction. Short-term and mid-term studies show little to no significant difference between the two groups, and there are a few long term studies to compare results between the two grafts. Purpose: To compare the results after using either BPTB grafts or hamstring grafts 18 years after ACL reconstruction. Study design: Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence II. Methods: 114 patients with ACL rupture between 2001 and 2004 were randomized to reconstruction with either BPTB graft or a hamstring graft. Patients were operated at four major hospitals. The 18-year follow-up evaluation included isokinetic testing of muscle strength, patient-reported outcome measures, clinical knee examination and an assessment of radiological osteoarthritis using the Kellgren-Lawrence classification. Hypothesis:Hypothesis is that there will be no difference in the long-term outcome between the two groups, as well hypothesis of no difference in patients with prosthesis after ACL reconstruction, arthrosis difference in operated knees and the rate of graft failure between the two groups. Previous follow-up studies showed a significant difference in total flexion work between the two groups, so detecting a persistent difference between the groups will be point of interest.

Trial Health

87
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
114

participants targeted

Target at P50-P75 for all trials

Timeline
Completed

Started Mar 2022

Shorter than P25 for all trials

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
completed

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Start

First participant enrolled

March 14, 2022

Completed
7 months until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

October 7, 2022

Completed
Same day until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

October 7, 2022

Completed
6 months until next milestone

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

April 17, 2023

Completed
1 month until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

May 25, 2023

Completed
Last Updated

June 6, 2025

Status Verified

June 1, 2025

Enrollment Period

7 months

First QC Date

April 17, 2023

Last Update Submit

June 3, 2025

Conditions

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • KT-1000 arthrometer

    KT-1000 test- The KT1000 arthrometer was designed to measure the anterior translation of the tibia while maintaing the femur in position. The results obtained provide an objective diagnostic of the state of the ACL to the medical practitioner.

    Examination day, 1 day.

Secondary Outcomes (7)

  • Gonarthrosis measurement

    Examination day, 1 day

  • Biodex isokinetic testing

    Examination day, 1 day.

  • KOOS score

    Examination day, 1 day

  • Lysholm's functional score

    Examination day, 1 day

  • Tegner's activity score

    Examination day, 1 day.

  • +2 more secondary outcomes

Study Arms (2)

BPTB group

Bone-patellar tendon- bone graft used for ACL reconstruction.

Procedure: ACL reconstruction

Hamstring group

Double-looped semitendinosus and gracilis graft used for ACL reconstruction

Procedure: ACL reconstruction

Interventions

Randomized between hamstring and patellar tendon graft

Also known as: Graft choice,
BPTB groupHamstring group

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years - 45 Years
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64)
Sampling MethodProbability Sample
Study Population

Norwegian citizens. Patients from Trondelag county operated in Trondheim (StOlav Hospital), patients from Oslo operated at Lovisenberg Diaconal Hospital Oslo, patients from Hordaland operated at Haraldsplass Deaconess Hospital Bergen. Few patients from other counties who wanted operation at spesific hospital were also included if inclusion criteria were met.

You may qualify if:

  • Primary reconstructions of isolated ACL-ruptures. Surgery at least 6 weeks after injury. Age 18-45 years.
  • The patient must understand and accept the written consent. The written consent must be signed by the patient before surgery.
  • Normal two-plane X-ray of the knee.

You may not qualify if:

  • \>5mm + chronic MCL-injury in the same knee.
  • Patient with major additional injury in the knee: combined instability, cartilage injuries Outerbridge grade 3-4 and at least 1cm in diameter on the femoral condyle and major meniscal lesions with meniscal repairs.
  • Patients having problems following the protocol.
  • The patient does not understand the written consent or will not sign it.
  • Patients with a history of alcohol or drug abuse the last three years.
  • The patient has received any investigational drugs within 30 days prior to admittance to this study.
  • The patient has O.A., podagra, RA, Bechterew's disease or chondrocalcinosis.
  • The patient has malalignment with more than 5 degrees valgus and no varus compared to a normal knee.
  • The patient has patellofemoral instability.
  • The patient is obese with BMI\>30.
  • The patient has a present or former serious illness that makes follow-up or rehabilitation of the patient difficult.
  • Former major surgical procedures in the same knee, including prosthesis.
  • Treated or untreated anterior cruciate ligament injury in the other knee.

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

St Olav Hospital

Trondheim, Trøndelag, 7030, Norway

Location

Related Publications (31)

  • Bourke HE, Salmon LJ, Waller A, Patterson V, Pinczewski LA. Survival of the anterior cruciate ligament graft and the contralateral ACL at a minimum of 15 years. Am J Sports Med. 2012 Sep;40(9):1985-92. doi: 10.1177/0363546512454414. Epub 2012 Aug 6.

    PMID: 22869626BACKGROUND
  • Leys T, Salmon L, Waller A, Linklater J, Pinczewski L. Clinical results and risk factors for reinjury 15 years after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: a prospective study of hamstring and patellar tendon grafts. Am J Sports Med. 2012 Mar;40(3):595-605. doi: 10.1177/0363546511430375. Epub 2011 Dec 19.

    PMID: 22184280BACKGROUND
  • Freedman KB, D'Amato MJ, Nedeff DD, Kaz A, Bach BR Jr. Arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: a metaanalysis comparing patellar tendon and hamstring tendon autografts. Am J Sports Med. 2003 Jan-Feb;31(1):2-11. doi: 10.1177/03635465030310011501.

    PMID: 12531750BACKGROUND
  • Gifstad T, Foss OA, Engebretsen L, Lind M, Forssblad M, Albrektsen G, Drogset JO. Lower risk of revision with patellar tendon autografts compared with hamstring autografts: a registry study based on 45,998 primary ACL reconstructions in Scandinavia. Am J Sports Med. 2014 Oct;42(10):2319-28. doi: 10.1177/0363546514548164. Epub 2014 Sep 8.

    PMID: 25201444BACKGROUND
  • Gifstad T, Sole A, Strand T, Uppheim G, Grontvedt T, Drogset JO. Long-term follow-up of patellar tendon grafts or hamstring tendon grafts in endoscopic ACL reconstructions. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2013 Mar;21(3):576-83. doi: 10.1007/s00167-012-1947-0. Epub 2012 Mar 10.

    PMID: 22407182BACKGROUND
  • Drogset JO, Strand T, Uppheim G, Odegard B, Boe A, Grontvedt T. Autologous patellar tendon and quadrupled hamstring grafts in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: a prospective randomized multicenter review of different fixation methods. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2010 Aug;18(8):1085-93. doi: 10.1007/s00167-009-0996-5. Epub 2009 Dec 3.

    PMID: 19956928BACKGROUND
  • Herzog MM, Marshall SW, Lund JL, Pate V, Mack CD, Spang JT. Trends in Incidence of ACL Reconstruction and Concomitant Procedures Among Commercially Insured Individuals in the United States, 2002-2014. Sports Health. 2018 Nov/Dec;10(6):523-531. doi: 10.1177/1941738118803616.

    PMID: 30355175BACKGROUND
  • Costa-Paz M, Garcia-Mansilla I, Marciano S, Ayerza MA, Muscolo DL. Knee-related quality of life, functional results and osteoarthritis at a minimum of 20 years' follow-up after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Knee. 2019 Jun;26(3):666-672. doi: 10.1016/j.knee.2019.04.010. Epub 2019 May 15.

    PMID: 31103415BACKGROUND
  • Risberg MA, Oiestad BE, Gunderson R, Aune AK, Engebretsen L, Culvenor A, Holm I. Changes in Knee Osteoarthritis, Symptoms, and Function After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A 20-Year Prospective Follow-up Study. Am J Sports Med. 2016 May;44(5):1215-24. doi: 10.1177/0363546515626539. Epub 2016 Feb 24.

    PMID: 26912282BACKGROUND
  • Mohtadi NG, Chan DS, Dainty KN, Whelan DB. Patellar tendon versus hamstring tendon autograft for anterior cruciate ligament rupture in adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2011 Sep 7;2011(9):CD005960. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD005960.pub2.

    PMID: 21901700BACKGROUND
  • Persson A, Fjeldsgaard K, Gjertsen JE, Kjellsen AB, Engebretsen L, Hole RM, Fevang JM. Increased risk of revision with hamstring tendon grafts compared with patellar tendon grafts after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: a study of 12,643 patients from the Norwegian Cruciate Ligament Registry, 2004-2012. Am J Sports Med. 2014 Feb;42(2):285-91. doi: 10.1177/0363546513511419. Epub 2013 Dec 9.

    PMID: 24322979BACKGROUND
  • Goldblatt JP, Fitzsimmons SE, Balk E, Richmond JC. Reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament: meta-analysis of patellar tendon versus hamstring tendon autograft. Arthroscopy. 2005 Jul;21(7):791-803. doi: 10.1016/j.arthro.2005.04.107.

    PMID: 16012491BACKGROUND
  • Holm I, Oiestad BE, Risberg MA, Aune AK. No difference in knee function or prevalence of osteoarthritis after reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament with 4-strand hamstring autograft versus patellar tendon-bone autograft: a randomized study with 10-year follow-up. Am J Sports Med. 2010 Mar;38(3):448-54. doi: 10.1177/0363546509350301. Epub 2010 Jan 23.

    PMID: 20097928BACKGROUND
  • Mascarenhas R, Tranovich MJ, Kropf EJ, Fu FH, Harner CD. Bone-patellar tendon-bone autograft versus hamstring autograft anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction in the young athlete: a retrospective matched analysis with 2-10 year follow-up. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2012 Aug;20(8):1520-7. doi: 10.1007/s00167-011-1735-2. Epub 2011 Nov 3.

    PMID: 22048746BACKGROUND
  • Sajovic M, Vengust V, Komadina R, Tavcar R, Skaza K. A prospective, randomized comparison of semitendinosus and gracilis tendon versus patellar tendon autografts for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: five-year follow-up. Am J Sports Med. 2006 Dec;34(12):1933-40. doi: 10.1177/0363546506290726. Epub 2006 Aug 21.

    PMID: 16923826BACKGROUND
  • Xie X, Liu X, Chen Z, Yu Y, Peng S, Li Q. A meta-analysis of bone-patellar tendon-bone autograft versus four-strand hamstring tendon autograft for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Knee. 2015 Mar;22(2):100-10. doi: 10.1016/j.knee.2014.11.014. Epub 2014 Dec 11.

    PMID: 25547048BACKGROUND
  • Bjornsson H, Samuelsson K, Sundemo D, Desai N, Sernert N, Rostgard-Christensen L, Karlsson J, Kartus J. A Randomized Controlled Trial With Mean 16-Year Follow-up Comparing Hamstring and Patellar Tendon Autografts in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction. Am J Sports Med. 2016 Sep;44(9):2304-13. doi: 10.1177/0363546516646378. Epub 2016 May 26.

    PMID: 27229354BACKGROUND
  • Coffey R, Bordoni B. Lachman Test. 2023 Jul 24. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan-. Available from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK554415/

    PMID: 32119302BACKGROUND
  • Sajovic M, Stropnik D, Skaza K. Long-term Comparison of Semitendinosus and Gracilis Tendon Versus Patellar Tendon Autografts for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A 17-Year Follow-up of a Randomized Controlled Trial. Am J Sports Med. 2018 Jul;46(8):1800-1808. doi: 10.1177/0363546518768768. Epub 2018 May 9.

    PMID: 29741911BACKGROUND
  • Vaudreuil NJ, Rothrauff BB, de Sa D, Musahl V. The Pivot Shift: Current Experimental Methodology and Clinical Utility for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rupture and Associated Injury. Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med. 2019 Mar;12(1):41-49. doi: 10.1007/s12178-019-09529-7.

    PMID: 30706283BACKGROUND
  • Arneja S, Leith J. Review article: Validity of the KT-1000 knee ligament arthrometer. J Orthop Surg (Hong Kong). 2009 Apr;17(1):77-9. doi: 10.1177/230949900901700117.

    PMID: 19398799BACKGROUND
  • Tegner Y, Lysholm J. Rating systems in the evaluation of knee ligament injuries. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 1985 Sep;(198):43-9.

    PMID: 4028566BACKGROUND
  • Roos EM, Toksvig-Larsen S. Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) - validation and comparison to the WOMAC in total knee replacement. Health Qual Life Outcomes. 2003 May 25;1:17. doi: 10.1186/1477-7525-1-17.

    PMID: 12801417BACKGROUND
  • Kohn MD, Sassoon AA, Fernando ND. Classifications in Brief: Kellgren-Lawrence Classification of Osteoarthritis. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2016 Aug;474(8):1886-93. doi: 10.1007/s11999-016-4732-4. Epub 2016 Feb 12. No abstract available.

    PMID: 26872913BACKGROUND
  • Pinczewski LA, Lyman J, Salmon LJ, Russell VJ, Roe J, Linklater J. A 10-year comparison of anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions with hamstring tendon and patellar tendon autograft: a controlled, prospective trial. Am J Sports Med. 2007 Apr;35(4):564-74. doi: 10.1177/0363546506296042. Epub 2007 Jan 29.

    PMID: 17261567BACKGROUND
  • Thompson SM, Salmon LJ, Waller A, Linklater J, Roe JP, Pinczewski LA. Twenty-Year Outcome of a Longitudinal Prospective Evaluation of Isolated Endoscopic Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction With Patellar Tendon or Hamstring Autograft. Am J Sports Med. 2016 Dec;44(12):3083-3094. doi: 10.1177/0363546516658041. Epub 2016 Aug 4.

    PMID: 27492972BACKGROUND
  • Konrads C, Reppenhagen S, Plumhoff P, Hoberg M, Rudert M, Barthel T. No significant difference in clinical outcome and knee stability between patellar tendon and semitendinosus tendon in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Arch Orthop Trauma Surg. 2016 Apr;136(4):521-5. doi: 10.1007/s00402-015-2386-4. Epub 2016 Jan 2.

    PMID: 26725050BACKGROUND
  • Bourke HE, Gordon DJ, Salmon LJ, Waller A, Linklater J, Pinczewski LA. The outcome at 15 years of endoscopic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction using hamstring tendon autograft for 'isolated' anterior cruciate ligament rupture. J Bone Joint Surg Br. 2012 May;94(5):630-7. doi: 10.1302/0301-620X.94B5.28675.

    PMID: 22529082BACKGROUND
  • Webster KE, Feller JA, Hartnett N, Leigh WB, Richmond AK. Comparison of Patellar Tendon and Hamstring Tendon Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A 15-Year Follow-up of a Randomized Controlled Trial. Am J Sports Med. 2016 Jan;44(1):83-90. doi: 10.1177/0363546515611886. Epub 2015 Nov 17.

    PMID: 26578718BACKGROUND
  • Samuelsen BT, Webster KE, Johnson NR, Hewett TE, Krych AJ. Hamstring Autograft versus Patellar Tendon Autograft for ACL Reconstruction: Is There a Difference in Graft Failure Rate? A Meta-analysis of 47,613 Patients. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2017 Oct;475(10):2459-2468. doi: 10.1007/s11999-017-5278-9.

    PMID: 28205075BACKGROUND
  • Popovic M, Myhre JR, Holen JIH, Gifstad T, Strand IL, Strand T, Mo IF, Fischer-Bredenbeck C, Drogset JO. Reduced Knee Flexion Strength 18 Years After ACL Reconstruction With Hamstring Tendon Versus Patellar Tendon. Am J Sports Med. 2024 Sep;52(11):2750-2757. doi: 10.1177/03635465241271524. Epub 2024 Sep 2.

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Knee InjuriesLeg InjuriesWounds and Injuries

Study Officials

  • Jon O. Drogset, PhD

    St Olav Hospital Trondheim

    STUDY CHAIR

Study Design

Study Type
observational
Observational Model
COHORT
Time Perspective
PROSPECTIVE
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

April 17, 2023

First Posted

May 25, 2023

Study Start

March 14, 2022

Primary Completion

October 7, 2022

Study Completion

October 7, 2022

Last Updated

June 6, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-06

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will not share

Locations