A systematic review of the femoral origin and tibial insertion morphology of the ACL

Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2009 Mar;17(3):213-9. doi: 10.1007/s00167-008-0709-5. Epub 2009 Jan 13.

Abstract

Transtibial single bundle anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction has been the gold standard for several years. This technique often fails to restore native ACL femoral origin and tibial insertion anatomy of the ACL. Recently, there is a strong trend towards a more anatomical approach in single and double bundle ACL reconstruction. Using the anatomic double bundle structure of the ACL as a principle, the entirety of both tibial insertion and femoral origin of both bundles, the posterolateral and anteromedial, may be restored. Reflected by recent publications over the past two years, there is an increasing interest in the anatomy of the ACL. In the current study, a PubMed literature search was performed looking for measurements of the ACL femoral origin and tibial insertion. These studies show a large variability in the size and the anatomy of the femoral origin and tibial ACL insertion using different methods and specimens. The diversity of reported measurements makes clinical application of these data difficult at best. Thus, it is of paramount importance to understand the individual variations in size and shape of the ACL femoral origin and tibial ACL insertion. This study is a systematic review of the morphology of the ACL femoral origin and tibial insertion as reported in the literature.

Publication types

  • Review
  • Systematic Review

MeSH terms

  • Anterior Cruciate Ligament / anatomy & histology*
  • Anterior Cruciate Ligament / physiopathology
  • Anterior Cruciate Ligament / surgery
  • Biomechanical Phenomena
  • Cadaver
  • Femur / anatomy & histology*
  • Humans
  • Knee Joint / anatomy & histology
  • Knee Joint / physiopathology
  • Knee Joint / surgery
  • Range of Motion, Articular
  • Tibia / anatomy & histology*