Knee Ligament Reconstruction
Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury (ACL)
An ACL injury is the most common ligament injury requiring reconstruction. The anterior cruciate ligament (also called the ACL) is one of four ligaments that are critical to the stability of the knee joint. An ACL injury is usually sustained during contact sport or caused by falling. The procedure is done under general or spinal anaesthetic and a one night hospital stay is required. It is an arthroscopic procedure where keyhole surgey allows the surgeon to replace the torn ends of the ACL with grafts from the hamstrong tendon or the patella.
ACL Injury
After new ACL inserted
NEW:ACL - Currently we are doing double-bundle ACL reconstruction if the patient is suited for the procedure.
We started to do Computer Assisted Surgery (CAS) of ACL reconstruction at the Cape Town Knee Unit.
- Accuracy in ACL reconstruction tunnel placement is important to the clinical outcome.
- However, surgeons demonstrate variability in tunnel placement.
- Computer-assisted navigation systems can reliably and accurately provide additional information to the surgeons about the true tunnel position in three-dimensional space.
- In addition, valuable data about the isometric and impingement can assist in tunnel placement.
- Navigation is also the only method to provide outcome data on rotational stability in the ACL reconstructed knee.
- Computer-assisted navigation systems provide assistance to orthopaedic surgeons in conducting ACL reconstruction surgery and in documenting knee stability.
Additional links & more information:
http://www.orthonet.pitt.edu/content/doublebundle.htm
http://orthopedics.about.com/cs/aclrepain/a/acl.htm
Posterior Cruciate Ligament Injury (PCL)
This is less common than an ACL injury as the posterior cruciate ligament is the strongest ligament in the knee. Patients normally have a combination of injuries when the PCL is injured. After arthroscopic surgery using grafts from other parts of the knee, the patient will normally be in a brace for 6 weeks and undergo rehabilitation.
Additional links & more information:
http://orthopedics.about.com/cs/kneeinjuries/a/pcl.htm