Table 1. Biomechanical characteristics of the native anterior cruciate ligament and common autografts used for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.
| Graft Type |
Cross-Sectional Area
(mm2) |
Maximal
Load To Failure (N) |
Ultimate Stiffness
(N/mm) |
Ultimate Stress
(N/mm2) |
Ultimate Strain
(%) |
Common Failure Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Native ACL*§ | 44 | 2160 | 242 | 49 | 20 | |
| BPTB Autograft†ǁ≠ | 48 | 1580-1810 | 278-324 | 69.9 | 14 | Deep Layer of Patellar Interface / Femoral Origin / Mid-substance |
| HT Autograft‡§ǁ≠ | 11 (1-strand) 23 (2-strand) |
1060 (1-Stand) 2330 (2-stand) 1750 (4-stand) |
213 (1-Stand) 469 (2-stand) 433 (4-stand) |
99 (1-Stand) 100 (2-stand) |
11.6 (4-stand) | Mid-Substance / Universal Stretch |
|
B-QT†≠ (Full Thickness) |
91 | 1450-2186 | 370-466 | 49 | 11.2 | Bone-Tendon Interface |
|
S-QT≠ (Full Thickness) |
1260 | 257 | Proximal Graft / Universal Stretch | |||
|
S-QT≠ (Partial Thickness) |
972 | 228 | Distal Graft / Universal Stretch |
ACL; anterior cruciate ligament, BPTB; bone-patellar tendon-bone, HT; hamstring tendon, B-QT; quadriceps tendon with a patellar bone block; S-QT, all soft-tissue quadriceps tendon; *includes data from Woo et al42; †includes data from Shani et al24; ‡ includes data from Hamner et al45; § includes data from Schilaty et al43; ǁ includes data from Strauss et al44; ≠ includes data from Magnussan et al47