Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction in elite and professional athletes: does graft choice influence return to sport and failure rate? A systematic review and meta-analysis
Approximately 80% of elite athletes RTS after ACL reconstruction, with an overall re-rupture rate of 7%. Hamstring/peroneus combined with a LEAP demonstrated superior RTS outcomes compared with other grafts, while re-rupture risk remained comparable. These findings suggest that while graft choice may influence RTS outcomes in elite athletes, the addition of a LEAP appears to further enhance RTS rates, particularly in high-demand sports.
Authors
- Luca Farinelli (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3048-7764)
- Amit Kumar Meena (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1202-8006)
- Elisabeth Abermann
- Christoph Kittl (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8507-5735)
- Elmar Herbst
- Domenico Albano
- Salvatore Gitto
- Andrea Marchetti
- Mirco Herbort
- Christian Fink
- Riccardo D'Ambrosi
- Luca Maria Sconfienza
Institutions
- Marche Polytechnic University (IT)
- University of Trieste (IT)
- Innsbruck Medical University (AT)
- University of Milan (IT)
- University of Münster (DE)
- Shalby Hospitals (IN)
- Istituto Clinico Sant'Ambrogio (IT)
- HolsboerMaschmeyer NeuroChemie (Germany) (DE)
- Istituti di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IT)
- Istituto Nazionale di Riposo e Cura per Anziani (IT)
- Gelenkpunkt (AT)
Publication Details
- Journal
- International Journal of Surgery
- Published
- 2026-01-22
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1097/js9.0000000000004837
- Primary Topic
- Knee injuries and reconstruction techniques
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00