ACL reconstruction using 5- or 6-strand hamstring autograft provides graft’s diameter bigger than 8 mm

Purpose The objective of this study was to measure the diameters of 5- and 6-strand hamstring autografts and to evaluate the predictability of their thickness by other body size indices. Methods Data were collected from 122 skeletally mature adult patients, who had undergone arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction using only 5- or 6-strand hamstring autografts. The diameters of tibial and femoral ends of the grafts were measured with the precision of 0.5 mm. Multiple linear regression was performed to determine the relationship between autograft’s thickness and body size indices. Results The diameter of the femoral end of the 5-strand graft in male/female patients on average was 8.9/8.3 mm, while the femoral end of the 6-strand graft—9.3/8.5 mm (respectively). In 98.4% of the cases, 5- or 6-strand hamstring autografts were significantly thicker than 8 mm. In 5-strand group, a significant positive correlation was detected between the diameter of autograft’s femoral end and patient’s height ( r = 0.55; p