ANTEROMEDIAL OR CENTRAL ANATOMIC ACL RECONSTRUCTION? A CADAVERIC HIP-TO-TOE STUDY

Objective: To compare anatomic anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction between two tunnel positions in knees with isolated ligament tears. Methods: Anatomic ACL reconstruction was performed, from hip-to-toe, on 15 fresh cadaveric specimens. No associated lesions were created to enhance knee instability. The protocol was conducted in three states: (1) complete isolated ACL deficiency; (2) anatomic femoral and tibial anteromedial ACL reconstruction (AM REC); and (3) anatomic femoral and tibial central ACL reconstruction (Central REC). The reconstruction protocols were randomly assigned. The continuous mechanized pivot-shift test was recorded dynamically with a tracking system. Results: The Central REC group showed a smaller degree of internal rotation (0.6 & DEG; & PLUSMN; 0.3 & DEG; vs. 1.8 & DEG; & PLUSMN; 0.3 & DEG;, respectively, P < 0.05) and no difference in anterior translation (4.7 mm & PLUSMN; 0.4 mm vs. 4.5 mm & PLUSMN; 0.4 mm, respectively, P > 0.05) in the pivot-shift test, compared with the AM REC group. Conclusion: The central anatomic ACL reconstruction resulted in greater restriction of internal rotation than the anteromedial anatomic ACL reconstruction. Experimental Study on Cadaver.

Automated summary

This study compared the outcomes of two ACL reconstruction surgeries and found that the central reconstruction group had less internal rotation and no difference in anterior translation compared to the anteromedial group.