Novel surgical technique for soft tissue distal avulsion of the anterior cruciate ligament: Technical note

J ISAKOS. 2024 Feb;9(1):59-61. doi: 10.1016/j.jisako.2023.08.011. Epub 2023 Sep 7.

Abstract

The most popular surgical treatment for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries is reconstruction. However, different native tissue preservation and repair techniques have recently become popular. Among the different types of ACL injuries, the least frequent is the tibial-sided soft-tissue avulsion type. Which can be managed with primary repair as an alternative to reconstruction. However, there aren't many procedures reported for treating these rare injuries. As a result, a repair technique is presented using a suture anchor in the tibial footprint with a double-row construct. We present a prospective intervention cohort of two cases where this procedure was used with adequate clinical evolution and stable fixation at 24 months of follow-up. Likewise, there were no complications or reinterventions performed during follow-up. To our knowledge, this technique had not been reported before in the literature for these lesions and combines the benefits of using a suture anchor with a double-row construct and preserves the native tissue and ACL insertion site. Therefore, in these uncommon lesions, a double-row suture anchor technique can be useful to repair acute distal soft tissue avulsion-type ACL injuries.

Keywords: ACL tear; Anterior cruciate ligament; Distal tear; Preservation; Primary repair.

Publication types

  • Video-Audio Media

MeSH terms

  • Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries* / surgery
  • Anterior Cruciate Ligament* / surgery
  • Arthroscopy / methods
  • Humans
  • Prospective Studies
  • Tibia