Donor tendon

A torn ligament is a typical injury in sport and ligament reconstruction in knee surgery is therefore a routine procedure. Reconstruction is usually carried out using the body's own tendons and depends on the extent of the instability, the sporting demands of the person affected and their age. But what happens if the stabilizing ligaments rupture again? If the joint is not to remain unstable, tendons from other people can be used - a donor tendon.

An example: A powerfully built football player suffered a complex ligament injury to his knee joint. His previously reconstructed posterior cruciate ligament was torn again. The use of a donor tendon was a good solution for him. Both the anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments were reconstructed using two donor tendons.

Therapy

A donor tendon is implanted in the same way as an autologous tendon. However, the tendon must first be processed before it can be reused. The donor tendons are disinfected in a sterilization solution and then frozen. During the operation, the donor tendons are then thawed in a sterile NaCl solution and prepared for implantation in the knee joint after appropriate preparation.

As the donor tendon is likely to heal more slowly than an autologous tendon, follow-up treatment should be slightly delayed or the rehabilitation period adjusted in such cases. The return to sporting activities, the so-called "return to sport", is also possible with a donor tendon - but takes a little longer.

As a general rule, the patient's own tendons should always be used for reconstructions of ligament injuries. However, the use of donor tendons is a good and suitable alternative for complex knee joint injuries involving several ligaments and after repeated ligament reconstruction. One advantage of this is that since no tendon is removed from the body, less strain is placed on the body and the operation time is correspondingly shorter.