Continuous cruciate ligament measurement using surface mounted transducers

Abstract

Cruciate ligament and Achilles tendon graft elongation were studied using two methods of posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) reconstruction, a "Tibial Tunnel" and a "Tibial Inlay". Under cyclic loading simulating an anterior drawer technique, elongations were recorded using an radially deflecting displacement transducer. The resulting periodic data was subjected to a Fourier analysis and comparisons between the anterior cruciate ligament and Achilles tendon graft elongations were examined for each surgical reconstruction. Spectral signatures revealed a more anatomic reconstruction resulted from the Tibial Inlay reconstruction as compared to the Tibial Tunnel reconstruction.