Spontaneous healing of a tear of an anterior cruciate ligament graft: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Almost 30% of young athletic patients sustain a second anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury within 24months of their ACL reconstruction and returning to pivoting sports. Most patients with high athletic demand and significant anteroposterior instability often require ACL revision surgery to restore their pre-injury activity levels.

CASE REPORT: A 24-year old gentleman ruptured his hamstring tendon autograft during a twisting injury seven months after his ACL reconstruction. Eight months post-injury, it was observed that spontaneous healing of his graft had occurred. This was confirmed with clinical examination and radiological imaging.

CONCLUSION: Hamstring tendon autografts may demonstrate some self-reparative potential. This could be due to the higher response of extra-articular ligaments and tendons in response to growth factors observed in some studies. Limitations in diagnostic magnetic resonance imaging could also lead to over-interpretation of a partially torn graft.