What is a Rupture of either ACL or PCL

Rupture of either ACL or PCL is a major incident, often accompanied by a loud 'bang', and an inability to continue with the activity - with later swelling and collapsing of the joint.

The Operation

Extraarticular reconstruction

Extraarticular reconstruction uses the structures on the lateral side of the knee to mimic the actions of the anterior cruciate ligament. For example, by surgically tightening the iliotibial tract, excessive lateral excursion of the tibia is prevented. The overall aim is to prevent anterior subluxation of the lateral tibial plateau in relation to the lateral femoral condyle and to correct anterolateral rotatory instability.

Intraarticular reconstruction

Intraarticular reconstruction tries to reproduce the anatomic anterior cruciate ligament. The donor tendon graft spans the intercondylar notch from the origin to insertion of the anterior cruciate ligament. Significant advances in arthroscopic techniques, and very good clinical results, have led to the increased availability and popularity of arthroscopically assisted anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. The most commonly used grafts are bone patellar tendon bone and four stranded hamstring tendons. The results of these are equally satisfactory at five years.