Joint kinematics and in situ forces after single bundle PCL reconstruction: a graft placed at the center of the femoral attachment does not restore normal posterior laxity.
BACKGROUND
Femoral tunnel placement has a great influence on the clinical outcome after PCL reconstruction.


METHODS
Using a robotic/universal force moment sensor (UFS) testing system, we examined joint kinematics and in situ forces of human knees following soft-tissue single bundle PCL reconstruction fixed at the center of the femoral attachment.


RESULTS
Posterior tibial translation significantly increased at all flexion angles after transsection of the posterior cruciate ligament (p<0.05). PCL reconstruction resulted in significantly less posterior tibial translation at all flexion angles when compared to the PCL deficient knee (p<0.05). The differences in the in situ force between the intact ligament and the reconstructed graft were statistical significant (p<0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Single bundle PCL reconstruction with a soft-tissue graft fixed at the center of the femoral attachment is able to reduce the posterior tibial translation significantly. However, it cannot restore kinematics of the intact knee and in situ forces of the intact PCL.
Lenschow
Simon
S
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Christian-Albrechts-University, Kiel, Germany.
Zantop
Thore
T
Weimann
Andre
A
Lemburg
Thomas
T
Raschke
Michael
M
Strobel
Michael
M
Petersen
Wolf
W
D000368:Aged; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D002102:Cadaver; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D016119:Posterior Cruciate Ligament / Q000502:physiology* / Q000601:surgery* / Q000637:transplantation; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular; D012371:Robotics / Q000295:instrumentation