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The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) does not heal spontaneously after injury, and patients of different ages respond differently to treatment. CD34+ stem/progenitor cells derived from the ACL remnant and associated tissues contribute to tendon-bone healing, but the relationship between age and the ACL’s healing potential has not been clarified.

The ACL remnant and associated tissues from adolescent patients have more CD34+ cells, and this population of cells from younger patients exhibits a higher potential for proliferation and differentiation in vitro.

Descriptive laboratory study.

Ruptured ACL remnants and associated tissues were harvested from 28 patients (mean age, 24.6 ± 1.6 years) who had undergone primary arthroscopic ACL reconstruction. Patients were divided into 3 patient groups by age: 10-19 years (teens group; n = 10), 20-29 years (20s group; n = 10 …