Pembury

Researchers are studying children and adolescents aged 8 to 17 years with confirmed Anterior Cruciate Ligament ACL ruptures that require reconstruction. The study aims to evaluate a surgical technique using hamstring tendons donated by a living adult donor, often a parent, as an alternative to the usual graft options. This approach seeks to address challenges in graft choice for skeletally immature patients, as childrens own tendons are smaller and allografts from deceased donors may have higher failure rates due to sterilization and storage methods. The study involves harvesting hamstring tendons from an adult donor under general anesthesia, then performing endoscopic ACL reconstruction on the child using the donated graft. The childs own tendons remain intact during surgery. Standard surgical fixation techniques are used, with possible meniscus repair or lateral tenodesis if needed. Patients are followed for two years or until skeletal maturity, whichever occurs later, and will follow standard pediatric rehabilitation guidelines. Participants will attend scheduled follow-up visits for clinical assessments, including subjective and objective knee evaluations, and complete knee function questionnaires. Researchers will monitor outcomes using the International Knee Documentation Committee Subjective Knee Form and Tegner Lysholm scores at multiple time points up to two years post-operation. Additional tests include knee ligament stability measurements and functional hop and squat tests. Any adverse events will be reported to health authorities to ensure safety monitoring throughout the study.