Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• STÄUBLI, H. U
• SCHATZMANN, L
• BRUNNER, P
• RINCON, L
• NOLTE, L.-P

Titel

Mechanical Tensile Properties of the Quadriceps Tendon and Patellar Ligament in Young Adults

Ist Teil von

• The American journal of sports medicine, 1999-01, Vol.27 (1), p.27-34

Ort / Verlag

Los Angeles, CA: American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine

Erscheinungsjahr

1999

Quelle

MEDLINE

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• We analyzed mechanical tensile properties of 16 10-mm wide, full-thickness central parts of quadriceps tendons and patellar ligaments from paired knees of eight male donors (mean age, 24.9 years). Uniaxial tensile testing was performed in a servohydraulic materials testing machine at an extension rate of 1 mm/sec. Sixteen specimens were tested unconditioned and 16 specimens were tested after cyclic preconditioning (200 cycles between 50 N and 800 N at 0.5 Hz). Mean cross-sectional areas measured 64.6 ± 8.4 mm 2 for seven unconditioned and 61.9 ± 9.0 mm 2 for eight preconditioned quadriceps tendons and were significantly larger than those values of seven unconditioned and seven preconditioned patellar ligaments (36.8 ± 5.7 mm 2 and 34.5 ± 4.4 mm 2 , respectively). Mean ultimate tensile stress values of unconditioned patellar ligaments were significantly larger than those values of unconditioned quadriceps tendons: 53.4 ± 7.2 N/mm 2 and 33.6 ± 8.1 N/mm 2 , respectively. Strain at failure was 14.4% ± 3.3% for preconditioned patellar ligaments and 11.2% ± 2.2% for preconditioned quadriceps tendons ( P = 0.0428). Preconditioned patellar ligaments exhibited significantly higher elastic modulus than preconditioned quadriceps tendons. Based on mechanical tensile properties analyses, the quadriceps tendon-bone construct may represent a versatile alternative graft in primary and revision anterior and posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.