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Updated: Jul 17, 2026
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Anterior Cruciate Ligament Transection and Synovial Fluid Lavage in a Rodent Model to Study Joint Inflammation and Posttraumatic Osteoarthritis
Published on: September 2, 2025
Intraarticular rupture pattern of the ACL
Thore Zantop1, Peter U Brucker, Armando Vidal
1Department of Trauma, Hand and Reconstructive Surgery, Wilhelms University Muenster, Germany. thore.zantop@ukmuenster.de
Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research
|January 5, 2007
Summary
Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) ruptures often involve both the anteromedial (AM) and posterolateral (PL) bundles. Complete ruptures occurred in 75% of patients, with varying patterns and locations between the bundles.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedic Surgery
- Sports Medicine
- Anatomy
Background:
- The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is crucial for knee stability.
- It comprises two functionally distinct bundles: anteromedial (AM) and posterolateral (PL).
- Intraarticular rupture patterns of these bundles remain underreported.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the intraarticular rupture patterns of the ACL.
- To analyze the integrity of the AM and PL bundles during rupture.
- To correlate rupture patterns with surgical findings in ACL reconstruction.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 121 patients undergoing ACL reconstruction.
- Surgical observation of intraarticular ACL rupture patterns by an experienced surgeon.
- Evaluation of the integrity of AM and PL bundles within 120 days of injury.
Main Results:
- Partial ACL ruptures were observed in 25% of patients, often requiring careful dissection to identify.
- Complete ruptures of both AM and PL bundles occurred in 75% of cases.
- In 44% of patients, AM and PL bundles ruptured at different intraarticular locations; 12% showed no PL bundle rupture.
Conclusions:
- ACL ruptures exhibit diverse intraarticular patterns involving AM and PL bundles.
- Complete ruptures are more common, but partial tears and differential bundle involvement occur.
- Surgeons must meticulously examine ACL remnants during reconstruction to identify intact fiber bundles.
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