Design Considerations for a Prosthetic Anterior Cruciate Ligament

2012 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason S. Bach ◽  
Mohammed Cherkaoui ◽  
Laurent Corté ◽  
Sabine Cantournet ◽  
David N. Ku

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tearing is a common knee injury often requiring reconstruction with an autograft or an allograft. A prosthetic ligament replacement with off-the-shelf availability could potentially provide significant advantages over the current options for both patients and surgeons. Limitations of previous prosthetics include lack of biocompatibility and susceptibility to fatigue, creep, and failure of bony incorporation. This paper describes design considerations and possible improvements for the next generation prosthetic ACL. Design controls, as mandated by the FDA, are a systematic set of practices within the design and development process used to ensure that a new medical device meets the needs of the intended users. The specified requirements, called the design inputs, for a prosthetic ACL are discussed pertaining to material and structural properties, resistance to creep and fatigue, ability to support secure initial fixation, biocompatibility, and long-term osseointegration. Design innovations to satisfy the design inputs are discussed with regards to material selection, textile pattern, bone tunnel features, and short term fixation. A risk analysis is presented along with descriptions of proposed testing. Design control methodology and tissue engineering may be used to develop a next generation prosthetic ligament, solving multiple problems, simultaneously, on a holistic level, providing major improvements over earlier devices and current treatment options.

Author(s):  
Ravi Mittal ◽  
Vijaykumar Digge ◽  
Rajkumar Selvanayagam

AbstractMany methods have been described, including pullout suture technique, for arthroscopic fixation of displaced tibial eminence fracture. We are describing our technique of pullout suture, which is a modification of previously described techniques. We passed two sutures arthroscopically through anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) just above the avulsed fragment and then pulled them out through medial and lateral bone tunnel in anterior aspect of crater in tibial plateau. The third suture passed through ACL was pulled out anteriorly under the transverse intermeniscal ligament through a submeniscal route. All sutures were tied under tension to a screw post placed on the anterior tibia after reducing the avulsed bone fragment. Our technique provides good reduction and even overreduction of the fragment. It also provides good initial fixation strength to work against displacing forces even in small and comminuted bony fragment. This is helpful for achieving adequate stability of knee, complete extension of knee, early rehabilitation, and quicker recovery.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 182-193
Author(s):  
Dawid Besztak ◽  
Karina Szczypiór-Piasecka ◽  
Alicja Mińko ◽  
Krzysztof Antczak

Introduction: The knee joint is the second most frequently injured joint. Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is a relatively common injury to the inner part of the knee joint, mainly related to contact sports. Its rupture leads to instability of the entire joint. Two treatment options are possible: operative or conservative. Each of them is related to an appropriate rehabilitation process. The aim of this study was to define a comprehensive rehabilitation plan in patients after ACL rupture and meniscal suturing.Materials and methods: The work was written based on the medical history of the patient who was diagnosed with complete rupture of ACL, and then reconstruction was performed with the harvesting of a semitendinous and slender muscle graft.Results: The rehabilitation process can be divided into two stages: hospital and post-hospital. Rehabilitation in hospital conditions begins on the zero day after arthroscopy. The main goals of rehabilitation include: increasing the range of mobility, no myofascial dysfunctions, no thromboembolic complications, and the ability to self-service.Conclusion: Rehabilitation is an indispensable element of the treatment of patients after ACL reconstruction. Early initiation of rehabilitation brings tangible benefits during treatment and return to full physical fitness.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 327-335 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Sato ◽  
R. Akagi ◽  
Y. Akatsu ◽  
Y. Matsuura ◽  
S. Takahashi ◽  
...  

Objectives To compare the effect of femoral bone tunnel configuration on tendon-bone healing in an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction animal model. Methods Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction using the plantaris tendon as graft material was performed on both knees of 24 rabbits (48 knees) to mimic ACL reconstruction by two different suspensory fixation devices for graft fixation. For the adjustable fixation device model (Socket group; group S), a 5 mm deep socket was created in the lateral femoral condyle (LFC) of the right knee. For the fixed-loop model (Tunnel group; group T), a femoral tunnel penetrating the LFC was created in the left knee. Animals were sacrificed at four and eight weeks after surgery for histological evaluation and biomechanical testing. Results Histologically, both groups showed a mixture of direct and indirect healing patterns at four weeks, whereas only indirect healing patterns were observed in both groups at eight weeks. No significant histological differences were seen between the two groups at four and eight weeks in the roof zone (four weeks, S: mean 4.8 sd 1.7, T: mean 4.5 sd 0.5, p = 0.14; eight weeks, S: mean 5.8 sd 0.8, T: mean 4.8 sd 1.8, p = 0.88, Mann-Whitney U test) or side zone (four weeks, S: mean 5.0 sd 1.2, T: mean 4.8 sd 0.4, p = 0.43; eight weeks, S: mean 5.3 sd 0.8,T: mean 5.5 sd 0.8, p = 0.61, Mann-Whitney U test) . Similarly, no significant difference was seen in the maximum failure load between group S and group T at four (15.6 sd 9.0N and 13.1 sd 5.6N) or eight weeks (12.6 sd 3.6N and 17.1 sd 6.4N, respectively). Conclusion Regardless of bone tunnel configuration, tendon-bone healing after ACL reconstruction primarily occurred through indirect healing. No significant histological or mechanical differences were observed between adjustable and fixed-loop femoral cortical suspension methods. Cite this article: Y. Sato, R. Akagi, Y. Akatsu, Y. Matsuura, S. Takahashi, S. Yamaguchi, T. Enomoto, R. Nakagawa, H. Hoshi, T. Sasaki, S. Kimura, Y. Ogawa, A. Sadamasu, S. Ohtori, T. Sasho. The effect of femoral bone tunnel configuration on tendon-bone healing in an anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: An animal study. Bone Joint Res 2018;7:327–335. DOI: 10.1302/2046-3758.75.BJR-2017-0238.R2.


2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (07) ◽  
pp. 620-623 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonardo Cavinatto ◽  
Sunny Gupta ◽  
Craig Morgan ◽  
Arthur R. Bartolozzi

AbstractPartial tears of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) recently regained attention due to a better understanding of the two distinct bundles of the ligament and the possibility of single-bundle reconstruction procedures. An accurate diagnosis is important as it influences treatment options and patient prognosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the value of examination under anesthesia (EUA) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for differentiating partial from complete ACL tears. For this purpose, this prospective case series included 95 consecutive patients undergoing primary ACL reconstruction surgeries. MRI, EUA, and MRI combined with EUA were performed preoperatively, and results were compared with arthroscopy. Our data showed that ACL lesions were diagnosed as partial tears in 42.1% (n = 40) of EUA, 23.2% (n = 22) of MRI, and 11.6% (n = 11) of arthroscopies. EUA and MRI demonstrated sensitivity of 100 and 90.1%, and specificity of 65.5 and 85.6%, respectively. Combined EUA and MRI demonstrated sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 83.1%. Our study revealed that preoperatively MRI and EUA may help surgeons early identify partial ACL tears and influence treatment decisions.


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