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autograft
Pronunciation: AW-toe-graft
Tissue graft taken from the patient's own body for transplantation to another site.
Full Definition
A type of tissue graft harvested from one part of a patient's body and transplanted to another location within the same individual. In orthopedic sports medicine, autografts are commonly used for ligament reconstruction procedures, with popular sources including the patellar tendon, hamstring tendons, and quadriceps tendon. Autografts offer the advantages of perfect tissue compatibility and no risk of disease transmission, but may be associated with donor site morbidity and longer operative times compared to alternative graft options.
Usage
Usage note: Always specify the donor site when documenting autograft procedures.
In Context
- "The surgeon chose patellar tendon autograft for the ACL reconstruction procedure." — Surgical planning
- "Hamstring autograft was preferred to minimize anterior knee pain risk." — Procedure note
Also known as
autologous graft
Contrasted with
allograft
xenograft
Don't confuse with
allograft
synthetic graft