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Comparison of femur tunnel aperture location in patients undergoing transtibial and anatomical single-bundle anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

  • Knee
  • Published:
Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy Aims and scope

Abstract

Purpose

Although three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT) has been used to compare femoral tunnel position following transtibial and anatomical anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction, no consensus has been reached on which technique results in a more anatomical position because methods of quantifying femoral tunnel position on 3D-CT have not been consistent. This meta-analysis was therefore performed to compare femoral tunnel location following transtibial and anatomical ACL reconstruction, in both the low-to-high and deep-to-shallow directions.

Methods

This meta-analysis included all studies that used 3D-CT to compare femoral tunnel location, using quadrant or anatomical coordinate axis methods, following transtibial and anatomical (AM portal or OI) single-bundle ACL reconstruction.

Results

Six studies were included in the meta-analysis. Femoral tunnel location was 18 % higher in the low-to-high direction, but was not significant in the deep-to-shallow direction, using the transtibial technique than the anatomical methods, when measured using the anatomical coordinate axis method. When measured using the quadrant method, however, femoral tunnel positions were significantly higher (21 %) and shallower (6 %) with transtibial than anatomical methods of ACL reconstruction.

Conclusion

The anatomical ACL reconstruction techniques led to a lower femoral tunnel aperture location than the transtibial technique, suggesting the superiority of anatomical techniques for creating new femoral tunnels during revision ACL reconstruction in femoral tunnel aperture location in the low-to-high direction. However, the mean difference in the deep-to-shallow direction differed by method of measurement.

Level of evidence

Meta-analysis, Level II.

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Correspondence to Seong-Il Bin.

Additional information

Dae-Hee Lee and Hyun-Jung Kim have contributed equally to the work.

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Lee, DH., Kim, HJ., Ahn, HS. et al. Comparison of femur tunnel aperture location in patients undergoing transtibial and anatomical single-bundle anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 24, 3713–3721 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00167-015-3657-x

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