title: Tips for successful transtibial anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.
abstract: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction is one of the most common procedures performed in orthopedics. While results from ACL reconstruction have been highly successful in restoring knee stability and allowing patients to return to sports, a debate continues as to which technique is best for restoring native anatomy and biomechanics. Some have proposed that a transtibial (TT) technique is not able to restore an ACL graft to the native femoral footprint and have advocated independent drilling of the femoral tunnel. We propose that with careful technique it is possible to reliably and reproducibly place the femoral tunnel in the anatomic femoral footprint using a TT technique with excellent results. We describe this surgical technique in detail and review the literature regarding the debate over TT drilling of the femoral tunnel and describe the senior author's (B.R.B.) experience using this technique.
authors: Division of Sports Medicine, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois.
authors: Marc S
authors: MS
authors: Haro
authors: Division of Sports Medicine, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois.
authors: Andy
authors: A
authors: Riff
authors: Division of Sports Medicine, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois.
authors: Bernard R
authors: BR
authors: Bach
mesh_terms: D016118:Anterior Cruciate Ligament / Q000601:surgery*; D000070598:Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries; D059549:Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction / Q000379:methods*; D005269:Femur / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007718:Knee Injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000601:surgery*; D056888:Patient Positioning; D013977:Tibia / Q000601:surgery*