Knee Ligament Reconstruction Techniques Compared

Study finds arthroscopic double-bundle technique produces the best knee stability results

THURSDAY, Nov. 12 (HealthDay News) -- The tibial inlay double-bundle technique for knee reconstruction may stabilize the joint better than two single-bundle techniques, according to a Korean study published in the Nov. 1 issue of the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.

Sung-Jae Kim, M.D., of the Yonsei University Health System in Seoul, South Korea, and colleagues assessed the status of 29 patients who had undergone primary posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (with Achilles tendon allograft), and were followed for at least two years. The researchers compared three reconstruction techniques: transtibial single-bundle procedure, arthroscopic inlay single-bundle procedure, and arthroscopic inlay double-bundle procedure. The status for each patient was evaluated by Lysholm knee score, mean side-to-side difference in tibial translation assessed by Telos stress radiographs, and side-to-side range of motion of the knee.

The researchers found that the mean side-to-side difference in posterior tibial translation differed to a significant degree between the arthroscopic tibial inlay double-bundle group (3.6 mm) and the transtibial single-bundle group (5.6 mm). No significant difference was observed between the transtibial single-bundle group and the inlay single-bundle group. The Lysholm scores and mean range of motion did not differ significantly among the three groups.

"Despite its technical difficulty, the arthroscopic tibial inlay double-bundle technique is our preferred method of reconstruction of the posterior cruciate ligament because it stabilizes posterior tibial translation better than do the other two methods," the authors conclude.

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