Synthetic grafts for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

Several artificial biomaterials are available as ligament grafts. No ideal prosthesis mimicking natural human tissue have been found to date. The emerging field of tissue engineering holds the promise to use artificial ligaments as a viable alternative to the patellar or hamstring tendon autografts. Preliminary studies support the idea that these biomaterials have the ability to provide an alternative for autogenous grafts. However, no definitive conclusions have been found. Additionally, the incidence of postoperative complications varies within different studies. Prospective investigations are required to better understand the potential of artificial biomaterials as ligament grafts.