Intercondylar notch

The intercondylar notch is the deep space between the two rounded ends (condyles) of the femur bone (thighbone).

intercondylar notch
The notch protects the two important cruciate ligaments.

 

The narrow intercondylar notch

A narrow intercondylar notch may predispose to cruciate ligament tears. It is often widened with a rotating burr during anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction in order to prevent obstruction of the new ligament with formation of a cyclops lesion.

Synonyms: 
notch
femoral notch
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CLINICAL PUBLICATIONS

The Importance of the Intercondylar Notch in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tears. Fernández-Jaén T, López-Alcorocho JM, Rodriguez-Iñigo E, Castellán F, Hernández JC and Guillén-García P. Orthop J Sports Med. 2015 Aug; 3(8): 2325967115597882.

Risk factors for Anterior Cruciate Ligament injury in skeletally immature patients: analysis of intercondylar notch width using Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Domzalski M, Grzelak P and Gabos P. Int Orthop. 2010 Jun;34(5):703-7. doi: 10.1007/s00264-010-0987-7. Epub 2010 Mar 24..

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