Revision ACL Reconstruction

What Does the Surgery Involve?

Revision ACL surgery is more complex than the initial procedure. It may involve:

• Removal of old hardware or graft

• New tunnel creation if old tunnels are misaligned or widened

• Bone grafting if previous tunnels need to be filled and healed first (in staged surgeries)

• Selection of new graft (hamstring, patellar tendon, quadriceps, or allograft)

Is It a Single-Stage or Two-Stage Procedure?

• Single-stage revision: If tunnels are intact and not malpositioned

• Two-stage revision: If bone tunnels are too wide or malpositioned—bone grafting is done first, followed by ACL reconstruction after healing

Key Considerations

• Requires precise planning with MRI and CT scans

• Longer recovery and rehabilitation than primary ACL surgery

• Outcome depends on cause of failure, surgical technique, and rehab compliance