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Aim: To quantitatively assess rotatory and anterior-posterior instability in vivo after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction using bone-patellar tendon-bone (BTB) autografts, and to clarify the influence of tunnel positions on the knee stability., Methods: Single-bundle ACL reconstruction with BTB autograft was performed on 50 patients with a mean age of 28 years using the trans-tibial (TT) ( n = 20) and trans-portal (TP) ( n = 30) techniques. Femoral and tibial tunnel positions were identified from the high-resolution 3D-CT bone models two weeks after surgery. Anterolateral rotatory translation was examined using a Slocum anterolateral rotatory instability test in open magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) 1.0-1.5 years after surgery, by measuring anterior tibial translation at the medial and lateral compartments on its sagittal images. Anterior-posterior stability was evaluated with a Kneelax3 arthrometer., Results: A total of 40 patients (80%) were finally followed up. Femoral tunnel positions were shallower ( P < 0.01) and higher ( P < 0.001), and tibial tunnel positions were more posterior ( P < 0.05) in the TT group compared with the TP group. Anterolateral rotatory translations in reconstructed knees were significantly correlated with the shallow femoral tunnel positions (R = 0.42, P < 0.01), and the rotatory translations were greater in the TT group (3.2 ± 1.6 mm) than in the TP group (2.0 ± 1.8 mm) ( P < 0.05). Side-to-side differences of Kneelax3 arthrometer were 1.5 ± 1.3 mm in the TT, and 1.7 ± 1.6 mm in the TP group (N.S.). Lysholm scores, KOOS subscales and re-injury rate showed no difference between the two groups., Conclusion: Anterolateral rotatory instability significantly correlated shallow femoral tunnel positions after ACL reconstruction using BTB autografts. Clinical outcomes, rotatory and anterior-posterior stability were overall satisfactory in both techniques, but the TT technique located femoral tunnels in shallower and higher positions, and tibial tunnels in more posterior positions than the TP technique, thus increased the anterolateral rotation. Anatomic ACL reconstruction with BTB autografts may restore knee function and stability., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Both single-bundle (SB) and double-bundle (DB) procedures have been widely used in the treatment of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture; however, the optimal repair strategy remains considerably controversial. In this meta-analysis of published studies, we compared the results of these two techniques. After systematic review of electronic databases and websites, a total of 8 RCTs reporting data on 941 subjects were included. The objective and subjective functional recovery outcomes were meta-analyzed. The methodological quality was evaluated using the CBRG scale. The overall pooled data showed superiority in rotational stability, the degree of osteoarthritis (OA) changes, and subjective function score postoperatively in patients managed with DB compared with the SB procedure (pivot shift test, P = 0.02; degree of OA, P = 0.02; Lysholm score, P = 0.04; and Tegner scale, P = 0.002, respectively). However, subgroup analysis suggested no difference between the treatment procedures at long-term follow-up. This meta-analysis demonstrated that the DB technique could result in better rotational stability and higher subjective function score and was effective in preventing OA compared to SB in the mid-term treatment of the injured ACL. Further studies with better design involving larger sample sizes and longer-term follow-up are required.

Purpose: In anatomical single-bundle (SB) anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction, the traditional transtibial approach can limit anatomical placement of the femoral tunnel., Surgical Technique: We present a novel three-point freehand technique that allows for anatomic SB ACL reconstruction with the transtibial technique., Materials and Methods: Between January 2012 and December 2012, 55 ACL reconstructions were performed using the three-point freehand technique. All the patients were followed for a minimum of 12 months post-operatively. Clinical evaluation was done using the Lysholm score and International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) grade. All patients were analyzed by 3-dimensional computed tomography (3D CT) at 1 week after surgery., Results: The mean Lysholm score improved from 68.2±12.7 points preoperatively to 89.2±8.2 points at final follow-up. At final follow-up, the IKDC grade was normal in 42 patients and nearly normal in 13 patients. None of the patients had a positive pivot shift test, anterior drawer test and Lachman test at final follow-up. The anatomical position of the femoral tunnel was confirmed on 3D CT scans., Conclusions: The three-point freehand technique for SB transtibial ACL reconstruction is a simple, anatomic technique showing good clinical results.

Objective: To test the hypothesis that double bundle posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) reconstruction yields better improvement in stability and functional recovery of the knee than the single bundle technique., Methods: PubMed®, Embase®, the Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang and CBM disc databases were searched for comparative trials of PCL reconstruction using the single- versus double bundle technique. Data were extracted and meta-analysis was performed for stability improvement and functional recovery., Results: The meta-analysis included 435 patients in three randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and eight non-RCTs. Double bundle reconstruction provided significantly better 90° posterior stability than the single bundle technique (weighted mean difference 0.81, 95% confidence interval, [CI] 0.2, 1.42). Double bundle reconstruction resulted in a significantly higher likelihood of International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) examination grade A than the single bundle technique (odds ratio 0.41, 95% CI 0.24, 0.72)., Conclusions: The small amount of data available indicates that double bundle reconstruction is superior to the single bundle technique after isolated PCL injury. These findings should be interpreted with caution due to the low quality and limited sample size of the studies concerned., (© The Author(s) 2015 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.)

Purpose: In revision anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR), the single-stage technique and the over-the-top route (OTTR) procedure were usually selected for cases where the bone tunnel cannot be created at an anatomical position due to tunnel enlargement and overlap with the mal-positioned tunnel of primary reconstruction. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical results of revision single-bundle ACL reconstruction using OTTR procedure and to compare the clinical results of OTTR procedure with those of anatomical single-bundle revision reconstruction (SBR)., Hypothesis: The results of OTTR procedure are equivalent to that of SBR., Methods: Seventy-six revision ACL reconstruction knees from April 2002 to December 2012 were involved in our study. We focused on 21 knees which underwent surgery with SBR and 22 knees with OTTR using hamstring tendon. The clinical results were evaluated by means of the Lysholm score and the knee stability was assessed by the Lachman test, pivot-shift test and side-to-side difference by KT-2000 pre-operatively and after 1 year post-operatively. AP translation and rotational laxity using a navigation system were evaluated before and after revision ACL reconstruction under anesthesia in 8 cases of OTTR and in 6 cases of SBR., Results: There was no statistically significant difference between the OTTR and SBR regarding Lysholm score, Lachman test, pivot-shift test, ATT by KT-2000, and AP translation and rotational laxity with a navigation system., Conclusions: The clinical results of OTTR are almost equivalent to those of SBR. For the cases in which it is impossible to create the femoral tunnel in an anatomical position, OTTR is a valuable revision ACL reconstruction method., Level of Evidence: Case-control study. Level III., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To compare the clinical outcomes of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction with double-bundle and single-bundle techniques., Study Design: Meta-analysis, Methods: We searched electronic databases including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Google Scholar from 1966 to Jan 2012 to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing clinical outcomes of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction with double-bundle and single-bundle techniques. Two reviewers independently extracted data and assessed trial quality. Meta-analysis was performed to pool results., Results: Nineteen RCTs were included with a total of 1686 patients. The pooled analysis across all studies showed that the double-bundle ACL reconstruction technique could have significantly better outcomes in rotational laxity, as assessed by the pivot-shift test, KT grading and IKDC grading than the single-bundle techniques. We found no evidence of a difference in function measured by IKDC scores, KT arthrometer, Lysholm knee, or Tegner activity scores and complications after operations between single and double-bundle ACL reconstruction groups., Conclusion: Our meta-analysis demonstrated the superiority of double-bundle over single-bundle anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. The double-bundle ACL reconstruction technique has better outcomes in rotational laxity (pivot-shift test, KT grading and IKDC grading). However, for functional recovery, there was no significant difference between single-bundle and double-bundle reconstruction techniques., (Crown Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)