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Study endorses modified transtibial technique for single-bundle ACL reconstruction
Similar to the anteromedial portal technique, use of the modified transtibial technique for single-bundle ACL reconstruction showed good clinical results and anatomic placement of the femoral tunnel, according to study results.
Researchers randomly assigned 40 patients undergoing arthroscopic single-bundle (SB) ACL to the modified transtibial technique (group 1) or the anteromedial (AM) portal technique (group 2). The researchers used the 2000 IKDC subjective knee score, Lysholm knee score, Tegner activity scale, Lachman test, pivot-shift test, 2000 IKDC knee examination and KT-1000 arthrometer measurement to perform clinical evaluations and analyzed 3-D CT scans according to the quadrant method. The obliquity of the femoral tunnels in the coronal and sagittal planes and the size of the tunnel orifice was also measured.
After SB-ACL reconstruction, results showed significant improvement in all clinical parameters, with no between-group differences. The researchers found both groups had similar mean distance of femoral tunnel center location from the posterior condylar surface and from the Blumensaat line.
Although group 1 experienced a significantly lower mean coronal obliquity of the femoral tunnel vs. group 2, both groups had similar mean sagittal obliquity. Group 1 also had a slightly greater mean are of the tunnel orifice, according to the researchers.
Disclosure: The authors have no relevant financial disclosures.