Single bundle anatomic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: Indications, technique and results

Abstract

Introduction Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is a common injury and more than 100,000 ACL reconstruction proce-dures are performed in the United States every year. Although widely accepted and investigated, ACL re-construction still continues to evolve and many technical issues are un-der debate. They mainly include: 1) graft selection, 2) surgical technique (double versus single bundle) and 3) femoral tunnel drilling in single bundle ACL reconstruction. In this review, the authors describe the in-dications, surgical technique and re-sults of anatomic ACL reconstruction. The controversies are also discussed, through a recent literature review. Methodology After an ACL tear, three possible treatment options are available: 1) conservative treatment, 2) acute ACL reconstruction (within the first six weeks) and 3) chronic reconstruction. Patient's age, profession and activity level need to be carefully evaluated to correctly plan the treatment. Conclusion To achieve good results and high sat-isfaction rates, correct treatment has to be tailored to meet the patient's needs, profession, activity level, age and sports. Considering the litera-ture review, many issues regarding ACL reconstruction are still under debate and need to be clarified with high quality studies.