Tunnel enlargement after anterior cruciate ligament surgery

Bone tunnel enlargement has been reported after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction surgery. Although the long-term outcome of this phenomenon is not yet known, tunnel lysis or expansion may be clinically significant in revision surgery because the enlarged tunnels may complicate graft p...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe American journal of sports medicine Vol. 32; no. 2; p. 543
Main Authors Wilson, Timothy C, Kantaras, Anthony, Atay, Ahmet, Johnson, Darren L
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.03.2004
Subjects
Anterior Cruciate Ligament - pathology
Anterior Cruciate Ligament - surgery
Biomechanical Phenomena
Bone Screws
Femur - pathology
Graft Survival
Humans
Knee Injuries - rehabilitation
Knee Injuries - surgery
Orthopedic Procedures
Osteolysis - etiology
Postoperative Complications - etiology
Prosthesis Failure
Reconstructive Surgical Procedures
Risk Factors
Tendons - transplantation
Transplantation, Homologous
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Summary:Bone tunnel enlargement has been reported after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction surgery. Although the long-term outcome of this phenomenon is not yet known, tunnel lysis or expansion may be clinically significant in revision surgery because the enlarged tunnels may complicate graft placement and fixation. There any many proposed theories for tunnel lysis. The most accurate statement is that this condition has a multifactorial etiology. Mechanical and biological causes have been reported, and both contribute to enlarged graft tunnels. This article describes the multiple causes of bone tunnel enlargement after ACL surgery. Future techniques and advances in primary ACL surgery must seek to eliminate this phenomenon.
ISSN:0363-5465
1552-3365
DOI:10.1177/0363546504263151