A Biomechanical Evaluation of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in Response to Rotational Loads

2000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Zeminski ◽  
Akihiro Kanamori ◽  
Masayoshi Yagi ◽  
Richard E. Debski ◽  
Freddie H. Fu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anterior Cruciate Ligament ◽  
Ligament Reconstruction ◽  
Cruciate Ligament ◽  
Complex Loading ◽  
Anterior Tibial Translation ◽  
Anterior Tibial ◽  
Biomechanical Evaluation ◽  
Anterior Cruciate ◽  
Tibial Translation

Abstract A successful reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after its injury should restore the kinematics of the intact knee, as well as reproduce the in-situ force in this ligament. While ACL reconstruction has been successful to limit anterior tibial translation under anterior loads applied to the tibia (1, 2), the same cannot be said about more complex loading conditions that include valgus and internal tibial torques.

The Position of the Tibia during Graft Fixation Affects Knee Kinematics and Graft Forces for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

2001 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 771-776 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jürgen Höher ◽  
Akihiro Kanamori ◽  
Jennifer Zeminski ◽  
Freddie H. Fu ◽  
Savio L-Y. Woo
Keyword(s):  
Anterior Cruciate Ligament ◽  
Cruciate Ligament ◽  
Knee Kinematics ◽  
Anterior Tibial Translation ◽  
Posterior Tibial ◽  
Anterior Tibial ◽  
Anterior Cruciate ◽  
Tibial Translation ◽  
Intact Knee

Ten cadaveric knees (donor ages, 36 to 66 years) were tested at full extension, 15°, 30°, and 90° of flexion under a 134-N anterior tibial load. In each knee, the kinematics as well as in situ force in the graft were compared when the graft was fixed with the tibia in four different positions: full knee extension while the surgeon applied a posterior tibial load (Position 1), 30° of flexion with the tibia at the neutral position of the intact knee (Position 2), 30° of flexion with a 67-N posterior tibial load (Position 3), and 30° of flexion with a 134-N posterior tibial load (Position 4). For Positions 1 and 2, the anterior tibial translation and the in situ forces were up to 60% greater and 36% smaller, respectively, than that of the intact knee. For Position 3, knee kinematics and in situ forces were closest to those observed in the intact knee. For Position 4, anterior tibial translation was significantly decreased by up to 2 mm and the in situ force increased up to 31 N. These results suggest that the position of the tibia during graft fixation is an important consideration for the biomechanical performance of an anterior cruciate ligament-reconstructed knee.

The Effect of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction on Knee Joint Kinematics under Simulated Muscle Loads

2005 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 240-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jae Doo Yoo ◽  
Ramprasad Papannagari ◽  
Sang Eun Park ◽  
Louis E. DeFrate ◽  
Thomas J. Gill ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anterior Cruciate Ligament ◽  
Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction ◽  
Ligament Reconstruction ◽  
Cruciate Ligament ◽  
Anterior Tibial Translation ◽  
Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction ◽  
Anterior Tibial ◽  
Anterior Cruciate ◽  
Tibial Translation ◽  
Reconstructed Knee

Background Numerous studies have investigated anterior stability of the knee during the anterior drawer test after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Few studies have evaluated anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction under physiological loads. Purpose To determine whether anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction reproduced knee motion under simulated muscle loads. Study Design Controlled laboratory study. Methods Eight human cadaveric knees were tested with the anterior cruciate ligament intact, transected, and reconstructed (using a bone–patellar tendon–bone graft) on a robotic testing system. Tibial translation and rotation were measured at 0 °, 15 °, 30 °, 60 °, and 90 ° of flexion under anterior drawer loading (130 N), quadriceps muscle loading (400 N), and combined quadriceps and hamstring muscle loading (400 N and 200 N, respectively). Repeated-measures analysis of variance and the Student-Newman-Keuls test were used to detect statistically significant differences between knee states. Results Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction resulted in a clinically satisfactory anterior tibial translation. The anterior tibial translation of the reconstructed knee was 1.93 mm larger than the intact knee at 30 ° of flexion under anterior load. Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction overconstrained tibial rotation, causing significantly less internal tibial rotation in the reconstructed knee at low flexion angles (0 °-30 °) under muscle loads (P<. 05). At 30 ° of flexion, under muscle loads, the tibia of the reconstructed knee was 1.9 ° externally rotated compared to the intact knee. Conclusions Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction may not restore the rotational kinematics of the intact knee under muscle loads, even though anterior tibial translation was restored to a clinically satisfactory level under anterior drawer loads. These data suggest that reproducing anterior stability under anterior tibial loads may not ensure that knee joint kinematics is restored under physiological loading conditions. Clinical Relevance Decreased internal rotation of the knee after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction may lead to increased patellofemoral joint contact pressures. Future anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction techniques should aim at restoring 3-dimensional knee kinematics under physiological loads.

The Effect of Tunnel Placement on Bone-Tendon Healing in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in a Goat Model

2009 ◽  
Vol 37 (8) ◽  
pp. 1522-1530 ◽  
Author(s):  
Max Ekdahl ◽  
Masahiro Nozaki ◽  
Mario Ferretti ◽  
Andrew Tsai ◽  
Patrick Smolinski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anterior Cruciate Ligament ◽  
Cruciate Ligament ◽  
Biomechanical Properties ◽  
Anterior Tibial Translation ◽  
Tunnel Placement ◽  
Anterior Tibial ◽  
Anterior Cruciate ◽  
Anterior Cruciate Ligament Surgery ◽  
Tibial Translation

Background Misplacement of the bone tunnels is one of the main causes of graft failure of anterior cruciate ligament surgery. Hypothesis Anatomic tunnel placement in anterior cruciate ligament surgery reconstruction will lead to improved outcomes, including biological ingrowth and biomechanical properties, when compared with nonanatomic tunnel placement. Study Design Controlled laboratory study. Methods Anterior cruciate ligament surgery reconstructions were performed on 3 different groups of goats (1 anatomic tunnel placement group and 2 different nonanatomic tunnel placement groups, with 10 goats in each group). For each group of 10 knees, 3 knees were used for histologic evaluation (bone tunnel enlargement, number of osteoclasts at the bone tendon interface, and revascularization of the graft) and 7 knees were used for biomechanical testing (anterior tibial translation, in situ force, cross-sectional area, and ultimate failure load). Animals were sacrificed at 12 weeks after surgery. Results The anatomic tunnel placement group showed less tunnel enlargement on the tibial side, fewer osteoclasts on both the tibial and femoral sides, and more vascularity in the femoral side when compared with the 2 nonanatomic reconstruction groups. Biomechanically, the anatomic tunnel placement group demonstrated less anterior tibial translation and greater in situ force than both nonanatomic tunnel placement groups. Conclusion Anatomic tunnel placement leads to superior biological healing and biomechanical properties compared with nonanatomic placement at 12 weeks after anterior cruciate ligament surgery reconstruction in a goat model. Clinical Relevance The findings of this study demonstrate the importance of anatomic tunnel placement in anterior cruciate ligament surgery reconstruction.

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