Peroneus Longus Tendon Autograft for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Safe and Effective Alternative in Nonathletic Patients

Background: The Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) is one of the most vital parts for sustaining knee joint stability. But, the frequency of ACL injuries is increasing alarmingly. The Peroneus Longus Tendon (PLT) is now considered to be a promising graft which is a safe and efficient alternative to other grafting methods. Methods: This was a prospective interventional study conducted at a tertiary care orthopaedic teaching hospital, during the period of March, 2019-August, 2022. The sample size for this study was 64. For statistical analysis, SPSS version 20 was used as a statistical tool. Result: There were 9(14.1%) respondents who were <18 years of age, followed by 22(34.4%) who were aged between 18-20 years, while the remaining 33(51.6%) were aged >20 years. The mean ± SD diameter (mm) was 8.3 ± 0.8, length (mm) was 8.5 ± 0.4, height (cm) was 174.1 ± 8.6, weight (kg) was 76.2 ± 13.2 and BMI was 25.0 ± 3.4. The majority of the patients (50%) were injured 1-3 months prior to the surgery. At the 6-month follow-up period, according to Lachman indicators after the surgery, 59(92.2%) of the respondents were graded 0, and the remaining 5(7.8%) were graded I. At the 12-month follow-up, the majority (93.8%) were graded 0, and 4(6.3%) graded I. At the 18-months follow-up, 59(92.2%) were graded 0 and 5(7.8%) were graded I. At the 6-month follow- up period by KT- 2000 indicators (mm) after the surgery, 57(89.1%) of the respondents were graded 0-2 mm, followed by 7(10.9%) graded 3-5 mm. At 12-months followed up the most 59(92.2%) were graded 0-2 mm and followed by 5(7.8%) graded 3-5 mm at the 18-month followed up, 57(89.1%) graded 0-2 mm, and followed by 7(10.9%) graded 3-5 mm. Conclusion: Peroneus longus tendon autograft in ACL reconstruction is a safe procedure that has a satisfactory result which was proved by the Lachman’s Test and the IKDC (KT-2000) score. PLT can prove to be an effective alternative autograft for ACL reconstruction.