Cureus. 2026 Jun 11;18(6):e110670. doi: 10.7759/cureus.110670. eCollection 2026 Jun.
ABSTRACT
Background Hamstring tendon (HT) autografts are commonly used in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR), although graft dimensions may vary among patients. Smaller graft diameters have been associated with higher graft failure rates, emphasizing the clinical importance of understanding factors related to the graft size. Consequently, preoperative anthropometric measurements have been investigated for their association with hamstring graft dimensions. However, findings from previous studies remain inconsistent across different populations, and data from Southeast Asian populations are still limited. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the relationship between preoperative anthropometric parameters and intraoperative hamstring graft dimensions, including diameter and length, in single-bundle ACLR patients using a five-strand hamstring autograft. Methods We retrospectively analyzed 91 patients who underwent primary single-bundle ACLR from 2018 to 2023 at a single institution. Preoperative data, including age, gender, height, weight, body mass index (BMI), and thigh circumference, were collected. Intraoperative graft diameter and length were obtained from the operative records. Pearson correlation and simple linear regression analyses were used to evaluate associations between anthropometric parameters and graft diameter. A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results Graft diameter showed a positive correlation with weight (r = 0.22, p = 0.040) and height (r = 0.51, p < 0.001), while graft length was positively correlated with height (r = 0.31, p = 0.003). Regression analysis confirmed a significant association between height and graft diameter (F (1, 89) = 30.649, p < 0.001), with height showing moderate explanatory power (R² = 0.256) and the strongest predictive relationship. In contrast, weight showed a statistically significant but weak association with graft diameter, explaining only a minimal proportion of variance (R² = 0.046). Conclusion Patient height showed a significant yet modest association with five-strand hamstring autograft diameter. These findings may provide supportive reference data for preoperative assessment in similar populations. Further studies are required to refine and validate predictive models for graft size estimation.
PMID:42437261 | PMC:PMC13355849 | DOI:10.7759/cureus.110670
