CLINICAL EVALUATION OF DONAR ANKLE SITE MORBIDITY AFTER HARVESTING PERONEUS LONGUS TENDON GRAFT FOR ARTHROSCOPIC ANTERIOR CRUCIATE LIGAMENT RECONSTRUCTION

Background: . The goal of this study was to assess ankle and foot functions using clinical examination and functional scores after harvesting autogenous peroneus longus tendon graft for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, with a 6 month follow-up period, with a focus on donor site morbidity. Due to the synergistic action of peroneus longus and peroneus brevis, peroneus longus graft harvest is possible. Material and Method: The study included 45 patients who underwent ACL reconstructionusing peroneus longus autograft and endobutton fixation. Donor site morbidity of the foot and ankle after tendon-harvesting was assessed using VAS-FA. Results: Total of 45 cases were operated out of which 34 patients were male and 11 patients were female. Average thickness of Peroneus longus tendon graft obtained was 8.6mm. Average length of Peroneus longus graft harvested in the study was 283mm. None of the patient had any sign of infection or wound dehiscence at donor ankle site. None of the patient had gait abnormality or ankle instability. Our study showed progressive increase in VAS- FA score 99.71 ± 0.75 at 6 months. Conclusion: We found that there was no significant worsening of ankle function via the examination of ankle scores based on the overall findings of the current study. There was no substantial donor site morbidity, and ankle motions were comparable to those on the contralateral healthy side.