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ACL Injury clinical trials at UCSF

2 in progress, 1 open to eligible people

An ACL injury occurs when the anterior cruciate ligament in the knee is sprained or torn. A trial at UCSF is examining ACL reconstruction using different tendons, with or without lateral tenodesis. Many young people experience this type of injury.

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  • STABILITY 2: Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction +/- Lateral Tenodesis With Patellar vs Quad Tendon

    open to eligible people ages 14-25

    Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture is one of the most common musculoskeletal injuries in young individuals, particularly those that are active in sports. Up to 30% of individuals under the age of 20 years suffer a re-injury to the reconstructed ACL. Revision ACLR has been associated with degeneration of the articular cartilage and increased rates of meniscal tears, increasing the risk of post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA), additional surgical procedures, reduced physical function and quality of life. As such, strategies to reduce ACLR failure, particularly in young active individuals, are critical to improving short and long-term outcomes after ACL rupture. There is ongoing debate about the optimal graft choice and reconstructive technique. Three autograft options are commonly used, including the bone-patellar-tendon-bone (BPTB), quadriceps tendon (QT) and hamstring tendon (HT). Additionally, a lateral extra-articular tenodesis (LET) may provide greater stability to the ACLR; however, its effect on failure rate is unclear and surgery-induced lateral compartment OA is a concern. To definitively inform the choice of autograft and the need for a LET, this multicenter, international randomized clinical trial will randomly assign 1236 young, active patients at high risk of re-injury to undergo ACLR using BPTB or QT autograft with our without LET.

    San Francisco, California and other locations

  • ACL Revision Study (MARS)

    Sorry, in progress, not accepting new patients

    The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of modifiable risk factors on patient-reported quality of life, physical activity levels, and risk of early osteoarthritis following revision anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. The investigators hypothesize that modifiable variables exist at the time of revision ACL reconstruction (e.g., cause of failure, current graft source and type, surgical exposure, and femoral and tibial tunnel position) which will be predictors of patient-reported outcomes.

    San Francisco, California and other locations

Our lead scientists for ACL Injury research studies include .

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