Dr. Matava explains if a woman will need to take anti-rejection medication if a cadaver is used during her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery.
Dr. Matava:
No, you do not. The ACL and the cartilage and structures of that nature around the knee are considered immune-privileged and so there is not really a rejection phenomenon like you would see with a heart transplant or a lung transplant. In addition, there is not a blood supply that goes through an ACL graft, again, like a large organ would be transplanted and so, you do not have to have anti-rejection medications.
About Dr. Matava, M.D.:
Visit Dr. Matava at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis