Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

An anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction is an operation to replace a damaged anterior cruciate ligament with a ligament graft or a synthetic ligament.

ACL reconstruction with Graftlink Guide for all-inside ACL reconstruction  
Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction using the 'all-inside' method Guide for Drilling the femoral tunnel for an all-inside ACL reconstruction.  

 

Graft options for ACL reconstruction

There are two common options for the graft material:

  • Autograft - using the patient's own tissues for the reconstruction
  • Allograft - using donor tissues rather than the patient's own tissue

Artificial ligaments and xenograft (animal material) remain options but are seldom considered.

 

Technical considerations

There are different technical procedures available to the surgeon, but the tendency is towards all-inside single-bundle reconstruction.

 

Synonyms: 
ACL reconstruction
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Related Content

Results From the Swedish National Anterior Cruciate Ligament Register

A publication highlighting the factors affecting injury of the ACL and ACL rehabilitation.

Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Practical Surgical Guide

This is a clinical text written by experts for experts, and has over 500 pages of well-indexed detail and is richly illustrated in colour. It is not a beginner's book.

Stiffness after ACL reconstruction - KNEEtalk spotlight #01

A discussion based upon an interesting thread in the KNEEguru Forum (bulletin board).

ACL injuries in the Female Athlete

A book review.

ACL Injury: Everything you need to know to make the right treatment decision

This e-book is from from two knee experts, written in a style for everyone to be able to understand the key issues and well illustrated in full colour.

Who's Who in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery?

This section lists knee surgeons who the KNEEguru website has identified as having expertise or a special interest in the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) of the knee.

What kind of ACL reconstruction have you had?

In a previous paper entitled Double bundle, traditional single bundle or 'more anatomic' single bundle ACL reconstruction?, I explained that techniques in cruciate...

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CLINICAL PUBLICATIONS

Management of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury: What's In and What's Out? Raines BT, Naclerio E and Sherman SL. Indian J Orthop. 2017 Sep-Oct; 51(5): 563–575.

Should return to sport be delayed until two years after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction? Biological and functional considerations Nagelli CV and Hewett TE. Sports Med. 2017 Feb; 47(2): 221–232.

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