Bone Grafts Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Bone Grafts, including details on spine fusion, surgery, procedure, risks.

Hybrid anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: introduction of a new technique for anatomic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

Frank DA, Altman GT, Re P

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 07030, USA. dfrank1973@yahoo.com

Recently, anatomic or double-bundle reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) has been presented in an effort to more accurately restore the native anatomy. These techniques create 2 tunnels in both the femur and tibia to reproduce the bundles of the ACL. However, the increased number of tunnels, particularly on the femoral side, has raised some concerns among authors and surgeons. We describe a technique to reconstruct the 2 distinct bundles of the ACL by using a single femoral tunnel and 2 tibial tunnels, the "hybrid" ACL reconstruction. The femoral tunnel is drilled through an anteromedial arthroscopy portal, which allows placement in a more anatomic position. Fixation in the femur is achieved with a novel device that separates a soft-tissue graft into 2 independently functioning bundles. Once fixed in the femur, the anteromedial and posterolateral bundles of the graft are passed through respective tunnels at the anatomic footprint on the tibia. These bundles are independently tensioned, which creates a reconconstruction that is similar to the native ACL. The technique presented provides surgeons with an alternative to other double-bundle techniques involving 4 tunnels.

Published 7 December 2007 in Arthroscopy, 23(12): 1354.e1-5.
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