title: Posterior cruciate ligament avulsion in total knee arthroplasty.
abstract: An anatomic study was outlined to measure the strength of the posterior cruciate ligament after total knee arthroplasty. This interest was precipitated by a patient whose posterior cruciate ligament ruptured 6 months after a total knee arthroplasty. Six unembalmed knee specimens (three bilateral) were mounted in a mechanical tension-testing machine, and proximal tibial total-knee bone cuts were performed at successive 2 to 3 mm depths. At each level, the ligament was tested at physiologic tension. The posterior cruciate ligament failed at 7 to 10 mm of bone resected, with an average failure at 8.6 mm.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Ochsner Clinic, New Orleans, Louisiana.
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Ochsner
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: McFarland
authors.forename: G C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Baffes
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Cook
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007720:Knee Prosthesis; D008297:Male; D016119:Posterior Cruciate Ligament / Q000503:physiopathology; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D012422:Rupture, Spontaneous; D013718:Tensile Strength