Personalized Quadriceps Tendon Harvesting System for ACL Reconstruction

Stanford researchers have developed a personalized surgical system that helps orthopedic surgeons harvest the right amount of quadriceps tendon for ACL reconstruction and tailor it to each patient's anatomy.

ACL reconstruction often uses a patient's own quadriceps tendon as a graft. However, tendon thickness varies widely between patients, and surgeons currently have no reliable way to measure tendon thickness during surgery or adjust the graft size accordingly. This can lead to grafts that are too small (increasing failure risk) or too large (removing unnecessary tissue, increasing pain, and slowing recovery).

This new system solves the problem by combining three elements:

1. a minimally invasive tool that measures tendon thickness during surgery,
2. a predictive software algorithm that calculates the ideal graft size based on patient-specific measurements, and
3. a precision cutting instrument that harvests the tendon at a customized width.

Together, these components allow surgeons to plan, measure, and execute a truly personalized graft harvest, improving precision while preserving healthy tissue.

Stage of Development
Proof of concept