Background:

Treatment of ACL injury is surgical reconstruction. It is not known whether the result is better depending on the type of graft used. Insulin-like growth factor type 1(IGF-1) is a powerful stimulant of extracellular matrix and chondrocyte growth.

Material and methods:

Experimental, analytical, prospective, longitudinal study in patients with ACL reconstruction in a period from 2016 to 2017. The concentration of IGF-1 in synovial fluid of these patients operated with allograft and autograft was determined, its association with postoperative evolution was determined. For statistical analysis, two-way ANOVA with Mann-Whitney post-hoc U was used.

Results:

A significant increase in IGF-1 was identified in the allograft group at 90 days of postopertory. In the autograft group, a significant increase in IGF-1 was observed from 30 days of postoperative. The autograft group was found to have significantly higher levels of IGF-1 (3.27 ± 0.09 ng/ml) compared to the allograft group (2.80 ± 0.11 ng/ml; p < 0.001) at 90 days after graft placement.

Discussion:

IGF-1 levels were higher in patients with autologous graft, knee functionality was clinically similar in both groups at 30 and 90 days.