title: The correlation of femoral tunnel length with the height and area of the lateral wall of the femoral intercondylar notch in anatomical single-bundle ACL reconstruction.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to reveal the correlation between femoral tunnel length and the height and area of the lateral wall of the femoral intercondylar notch in anatomical single-bundle anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction .
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-four subjects undergoing anatomical single-bundle ACL reconstruction were included in this study (19 females and 5 males; average age 45.5 ± 16.7). In the anatomical single-bundle ACL reconstruction, the femoral and tibial tunnels were created close to the anteromedial bundle insertion site. Using post-operative three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT), an accurate lateral view of the femoral condyle was evaluated. The correlation of femoral tunnel length, which was measured intra-operatively, with the length of Blumensaat's line, and the height and area of the lateral wall of the femoral intercondylar notch was statistically analysed. Tunnel placement was also evaluated using 3D-CT (Quadrant method).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average femoral tunnel length was 35.3 ± 4.9 mm. The length of Blumensaat's line, and the height and area of the lateral wall of the femoral intercondylar notch were 33.6 ± 3.4, 22.8 ± 2.4, and 734.6 ± 136 mm2, respectively. Both the height and the area of the lateral wall of the femoral intercondylar notch were significantly correlated with femoral tunnel length. Femoral tunnel placement was 24.1 ± 3.9 % in a shallow-deep direction, and 33.5 ± 7.7 % in a high-low direction.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The height and area of the lateral wall of the femoral intercondylar notch are correlated with femoral tunnel length in anatomical single-bundle ACL reconstruction. For clinical relevance, surgeons should be careful not to make the femoral tunnel too short in knees in which the femoral intercondylar notch is low in height or small in size.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case-controlled study, Level III.
authors: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kamimoku Hot Springs Hospital, Minakami, Japan. sekaiwoseisu@yahoo.co.jp.|Departments of Functional Morphology, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. sekaiwoseisu@yahoo.co.jp.
authors: Takanori
authors: T
authors: Iriuchishima
authors: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Nihon University Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors: Keinosuke
authors: K
authors: Ryu
authors: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Nihon University Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
authors: Makoto
authors: M
authors: Suruga
authors: Departments of Functional Morphology, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors: Shin
authors: S
authors: Aizawa
authors: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburg, PA, USA.
authors: Freddie H
authors: FH
authors: Fu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016118:Anterior Cruciate Ligament / Q000601:surgery; D059549:Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005269:Femur / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013977:Tibia / Q000601:surgery; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
keywords: Anatomy; Anterior cruciate ligament; Femoral condyle; Tunnel length