Three-dimentional computed tomographic changes of patella tendon after harvesting bone-tendon-bone

Patella tendon donor site healing after patella tendon autograft evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasonography is reported. However, there are only a few reports on patella tendon donor site healing evaluated by 3D-CT. In this study, we performed 3D-CT on 23 patients (11 males and 12 females) who received reconstruction of anterior cruciate ligament with bone-tendon-bone autograft in our hospital. The average age at the time of operation was 30.3 years, and the average duration of follow-up was 47 months. In 13 of these patients, 3D-CT was performed on both knees for comparative analysis. 3D-CT examination revealed that patella tendon healing after harvested autograft occurred within three years after operation, and healing continued. There were not any length or width differences between operated and non-operated knees. (author)