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Femoral attachment of the anterior cruciate ligament

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

Abstract

Endoscopic anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction is one of the most popular orthopaedic procedures. Correct tunnel positioning is a prerequisite to success. Current surgical techniques are unable to duplicate the complex anatomy and function of the native ACL. Surgery mainly aims at restoring anteroposterior laxity. The ACL is not isometric and only a few fibers are nearly isometric over the full range of motion. However, a nearly isometric behaviour of the ACL graft is desirable. Isometry is mainly influenced by femoral attachment; thus the femoral tunnel position has a greater effect than the tibial on graft length changes. The purpose of this article is to describe the anatomy of the femoral ACL insertion and to discuss the surgical techniques used to replicate it.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. First Orthopaedic Clinic, University of Florence, Largo P. Palagi, 1, 50139, Florence, Italy

    Francesco Giron, Pierluigi Cuomo & Paolo Aglietti

  2. Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK

    Anthony M. J. Bull

  3. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK

    Andrew A. Amis

  4. Musculoskeletal Surgery, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK

    Andrew A. Amis

Authors
  1. Francesco Giron
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  2. Pierluigi Cuomo
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  3. Paolo Aglietti
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  4. Anthony M. J. Bull
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  5. Andrew A. Amis
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Correspondence to Francesco Giron.

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Giron, F., Cuomo, P., Aglietti, P. et al. Femoral attachment of the anterior cruciate ligament. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 14, 250–256 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00167-005-0685-y

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