The story of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction--part 2

The first part of The story of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, was published in the previous issue of this journal, and the reader is encouraged to study both parts in order to become better acquainted with the subject. Those who have read the first part will remember that it concerned the historical developments surrounding the ligament's discovery, the acknowledgement of its function and the appreciation of the detrimental effects once it becomes damaged. It also described the efforts of the early pioneers who recognised the need to reestablish ligament function by ways of ligament repair or reconstruction with autologous tissue. The second part, presented here, explores the surgeons' quests to find the ideal graft material by experimenting with various synthetic materials, as well as those derived from animals (xenografts) and other human beings (allografts). It looks at historic efforts to stabilise an unstable knee by means of extra-articular reinforcements which were popular until not too long ago and reviews the developments of the various graft fixation methods available today. Furthermore it evaluates the influence of arthroscopy which revolutionised not just the procedure of ACL reconstruction but knee surgery in general, and also focuses on the more recent developments of double bundle techniques and the recreation of the ligament's native anatomy.