Allograft

Allograft

An ACL, patellar tendon, anterior tibialis tendon, or achilles tendon may be harvested from a cadaver and used as an allograft in reconstruction. The achilles tendon is so large it needs to be shaved to fit within the cavity inside the knee. This method has the benefit that the most painful part of the surgery, the harvesting of tendon tissue, is avoided. However, there is a slight chance of rejection which would lead to another surgery to remove the graft and replace it again.

Allografts are often irradiated to remove infectious agents. There is a risk of weakening the selected tendon, although for ACL surgery the weakened tendon is still as strong or about as strong as the ligament being replaced. Even with the extensive and redundant screening process for donor grafts, there is still a risk of infection, which would be grounds to remove the graft. Therefore, this option runs the largest health risk.