Double incision iso-anatomical ACL reconstruction: the freedom to place the femoral tunnel within the anatomical attachment site without exception

Background: Anatomic femoral tunnel placement for single-bundle anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction is now well accepted. The ideal location for the tibial tunnel has not been studied extensively, although some biomechanical and clinical studies suggest that placement of the tibial tunnel in the anterior part of the ACL tibial attachment site may be desirable. However, the concern for intercondylar roof impingement has tempered enthusiasm for anterior tibial tunnel placement. Purpose: To compare the potential for intercondylar roof impingement of ACL grafts with anteriorly positioned tibial tunnels after either transtibial (TT) or independent femoral (IF) tunnel drilling. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: Twelve fresh-frozen cadaver knees were randomized to either a TT or IF drilling technique. Tibial guide pins were drilled in the anterior third of the native ACL tibial attachment site after debridement. All efforts were made to drill the femoral tunnel anatomically in the center of the attachment site, and the surrogate ACL graft was visualized using 3-dimensional computed tomography. Reformatting was used to evaluate for roof impingement. Tunnel dimensions, knee flexion angles, and intra-articular sagittal graft angles were also measured. The Impingement Review Index (IRI) was used to evaluate for graft impingement. Results: Two grafts (2/6, 33.3%) in the TT group impinged upon the intercondylar roof and demonstrated angular deformity (IRI type 1). No grafts in the IF group impinged, although 2 of 6 (66.7%) IF grafts touched the roof without deformation (IRI type 2). The presence or absence of impingement was not statistically significant. The mean sagittal tibial tunnel guide pin position prior to drilling was 27.6% of the sagittal diameter of the tibia (range, 22%-33.9%). However, computed tomography performed postdrilling detected substantial posterior enlargement in 2 TT specimens. A significant difference in the sagittal graft angle was noted between the 2 groups. TT grafts were more vertical, leading to angular convergence with the roof, whereas IF grafts were more horizontal and universally diverged from the roof. Conclusion: The IF technique had no specimens with roof impingement despite an anterior tibial tunnel position, likely due to a more horizontal graft trajectory and anatomic placement of the ACL femoral tunnel. Roof impingement remains a concern after TT ACL reconstruction in the setting of anterior tibial tunnel placement, although statistical significance was not found. Future clinical studies are planned to develop better recommendations for ACL tibial tunnel placement. Clinical Relevance: Graft impingement due to excessively anterior tibial tunnel placement using a TT drilling technique has been previously demonstrated; however, this may not be a concern when using an IF tunnel drilling technique. There may also be biomechanical advantages to a more anterior tibial tunnel in IF tunnel ACL reconstruction.

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Evaluation of Tibial Tunnel Location with the Femoral Tunnel Created Behind the Resident's Ridge in Transtibial Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

The Journal of Knee Surgery ◽

10.1055/s-0040-1722568 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Tsuneari Takahashi ◽

Tomohiro Saito ◽

Tatsuya Kubo ◽

Ko Hirata ◽

Hideaki Sawamura ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Acl Reconstruction ◽

Femoral Tunnel ◽

Cruciate Ligament ◽

Tibial Tunnel ◽

Bone Tunnel ◽

Femoral Bone ◽

Anterior Cruciate ◽

Tunnel Positions ◽

Tunnel Angle ◽

Coronal View

AbstractFew studies have determined whether a femoral bone tunnel could be created behind the resident's ridge by using a transtibial (TT) technique-single bundle (SB)-anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. The aim of this study was to clarify (1) whether it is possible to create a femoral bone tunnel behind the resident's ridge by using the TT technique with SB ACL reconstruction, (2) to define the mean tibial and femoral tunnel angles during anatomic SB ACL reconstruction, and (3) to clarify the tibial tunnel inlet location when the femoral tunnel is created behind resident's ridge. Arthroscopic TT-SB ACL reconstruction was performed on 36 patients with ACL injuries. The point where 2.4-mm guide pin was inserted was confirmed, via anteromedial portal, to consider a location behind the resident's ridge. Then, an 8-mm diameter femoral tunnel with a 4.5-mm socket was created. Tunnel positions were evaluated by using three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT) 1 week postoperatively. Quadrant method and the resident's ridge on 3D-CT were evaluated to determine whether femoral tunnel position was anatomical. Radiological evaluations of tunnel positions yielded mean ( ± standard deviation) X- and Y-axis values for the tunnel centers: femoral tunnel, 25.2% ± 5.1% and 41.6% ± 10.2%; tibial tunnel, 49.2% ± 3.5%, and 31.5% ± 7.7%. The bone tunnels were anatomically positioned in all cases. The femoral tunnel angle relative to femoral axis was 29.4 ± 5.5 degrees in the coronal view and 43.5 ± 8.0 degrees in the sagittal view. The tibial tunnel angle relative to tibial axis was 25.5 ± 5.3 degrees in the coronal view and 52.3 ± 4.6 degrees in the sagittal view. The created tibial bone tunnel inlet had an average distance of 13.4 ± 2.7 mm from the medial tibial joint line and 9.7 ± 1.7 mm medial from the axis of the tibia. Femoral bone tunnel could be created behind the resident's ridge with TT-SB ACL reconstruction. The tibial bone tunnel inlet averaged 13.4 mm from the medial tibial joint line and 9.7 mm medial from the tibia axis.

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Correlation of Femoral Tunnel Length with Body Height, Limb Length, and Thigh Length in Indian Patients Undergoing Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery ◽

10.1177/1602400302 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 24 (3) ◽

pp. 286-288

Author(s):

Ravi Gupta ◽

Anubhav Malhotra ◽

Pawan Kumar ◽

Gladson David Masih

Keyword(s):

Anterior Cruciate Ligament ◽

Acl Reconstruction ◽

Femoral Tunnel ◽

Cruciate Ligament ◽

Body Height ◽

Limb Length ◽

Tunnel Length ◽

Indian Patients ◽

Anterior Cruciate ◽

Hamstrings Tendon

Purpose To measure the femoral tunnel length created through a far medial portal and determine its correlation with body height, limb length, and thigh length in 404 Indian patients undergoing anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Methods 364 male and 40 female Indian patients aged 18 to 51 (mean, 26.8) years underwent ACL reconstruction by a single surgeon using the hamstrings tendon autograft. Their body height, limb length, and thigh length were measured by a single assessor, as was the femoral tunnel length. Results The mean femoral tunnel length was 34.5 mm. It was <30 mm in 28 patients and <25 mm in 2 patients. The correlation coefficients of the femoral tunnel length with body height, limb length, and thigh length were 0.485 (p<0.0001), 0.426 (p<0.0001), and 0.304 (p<0.0001). No patient had posterior wall blowout fracture. Conclusion The femoral tunnel length positively correlated with body height, limb length, and thigh length in 404 Indian patients.

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Can an Anatomical ACL Reconstruction be Performed with Two Standart Portals?

Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.1177/2325967114s00123 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 2 (11_suppl3) ◽

pp. 2325967114S0012

Author(s):

Cem Coşkun Avcı ◽

Hüseyin Koca ◽

Necdet Sağlam ◽

Tuhan Kurtulmuş ◽

Gürsel Saka

Keyword(s):

Acl Reconstruction ◽

Femoral Tunnel ◽

Coronal Plane ◽

Radiographic Measurement ◽

Single Bundle ◽

Anteromedial Portal ◽

Tunnel Placement ◽

Tunnel Length ◽

Femoral Tunnel Drilling ◽

Tunnel Angle

Objectives: Recent studies have demonstrated that ACL reconstruction via anatomic tunnel placement would provide superior stability. In order to achieve an anatomic femoral tunnel, accessory anteromedial portal (three-portal tecnique) and medial Hoffa excision is necessary. Femoral tunnel drilling through a far anteromedial portal facilitates anatomic tunnel placement but can also results in shorter femoral tunnel and articular cartilage damage of the medial femoral condyle. Our purpose in this study was to evaluate whether an anatomic single bundle ACL reconstruction can be performed with the use of the two standart portals (anteromedial and anterolateral). Methods: Fifty seven patient underwent single bundle ACL reconstruction in our clinic between 2012-2014, with the use of either standart portals or three-portal tecnique. We measured the tunnel length and and femoral tunnel angle in coronal plane to assess the reconstruction. Two portals group included thirty -three patients (twenty-nine males, four females with a mean age of 27±2,4) and three portals group included twenty–four patients (twenty-three males, one female with a mean age of 26±2,9). All patients were evaluated with computerized tomography (CT) scans to determine femoral tunnel length and obliquity. Tunnel length was defined as the distance between the intra-articular and extra-articular tunnel apertures in coronal sections. Femoral tunnel angle was measured in the coronal plane on AP radiographs of the knee. For statistical analysis, student t test was used for normal categorical data. A p value of <0.05 was considered significant. Results: Average tunnel length was 44.2 ±6.8 mm (range: 32.6-55.2) in two portals group and 32.8±7.9 mm (range: 24.8-43.2) in three portal group. The average tunnel length in three portal group was significantly smaller (p<0.05). According to radiographic measurement on the AP view, femoral tunnel angle averaged 48.20±7.10 (range:38.60-56.10) in two portals group and 47.20±6,30 (range: 39.40-55.20) in three portals group. This difference was not statistically significant (p=0.2). Conclusion: Femoral tunnels drilled with standart two-portal tecnique were longer than three-portal tecnique. However, femoral tunnel angles was not different in two groups. Tunnel characteristic in terms of anatomic position was obtained with standart two-portal tecnique. Consequently, femoral tunnels can be placed anatomically with standart portals.

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Computed Tomography Imaging Results of Single Band Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Retrospective Study Comparing Fixed- and Adjustable-Length Loop Cortical Fixation on the First Day After Surgery

10.21203/rs.3.rs-660355/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Lifeng Yin ◽

Hua Zhang ◽

Junbo Liu ◽

xingyu zhang ◽

zhengxing wen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Computed Tomography ◽

Anterior Cruciate Ligament ◽

Acl Reconstruction ◽

Femoral Tunnel ◽

Cruciate Ligament ◽

Ct Images ◽

Graft Fixation ◽

Bone Preservation ◽

Anterior Cruciate ◽

Graft Insertion

Abstract Background: Cortical suspensory femoral fixation is commonly performed for graft fixation of the femur in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction using hamstring tendons. This study aimed to compare the morphology of femoral tunnel and graft insertion between fixed-length loop devices (FLD) and adjustable-length loop devices (ALD) using computed tomography (CT) images on the first day after hamstring ACL reconstruction. Methods: Overall, 94 patients who underwent ACL reconstruction from January 2016 to January 2021 were included. For femoral graft fixation, FLD (Smith & Nephew, ENDOBUTTON) and ALD (DePuy Synthes, Mitek sports medicine, RIGIDLOOP Adjustable cortical system) were used in 56 and 38 patients, respectively (FLD and ALD groups). For evaluation of the morphology of the humeral tunnel and graft depth, CT scans were performed immediately on the first postoperative day. The gap distance between the top of the graft and the socket tunnel end, the length of lateral bone preservation, and the depth of graft insertion were measured on the CT images. Results: The gap distance and bone preservation significantly differed between the two groups (1.90±1.81 mm and 14.35±4.67 mm in ALD groups; 7.08±2.63 mm and 7.35±3.62 mm in FLD groups, respectively; both P values < 0.01). The graft insertion depth did not significantly differ between the groups. Conclusion: The ALD group had a smaller gap distance, better bone preservation, and a similar graft insertion length in the femoral tunnel when compared to the FLD group. Based on these findings, ALD might be better for bone preservation and tunnel utilization in patients with short femoral tunnels. Trial registration: retrospectively registered

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