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Updated: Mar 1, 2026
Athymic Rat Model for Evaluation of Engineered Anterior Cruciate Ligament Grafts
Published on: March 26, 2015
The biomechanical effect of tunnel placement on ACL graft forces in double-bundle ACL reconstruction - A 3D
Nathan H Varady1,2, Willem A Kernkamp1, Jingsheng Li1
1Bioengineering Laboratory, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts, USA.
Background:
The posterolateral (PL) graft experiences a high failure rate in anterior cruciate ligament double-bundle (DB) reconstruction. It is hypothesized that tunnel positions could dramatically affect the graft forces.
Methods:
A validated computational model was used to simulate DB reconstruction with various femoral PL tunnel locations (8-11 mm center-center tunnel spacing). Graft fixation was simulated at both 0° and 30°. Knee biomechanics were examined with the knee under a 134 N anterior load and 400 N quadriceps load at 0°, 30°, 60°, and 90° of flexion. Graft forces, tibial translation, and tibial rotation were calculated.
Results:
PL graft forces at full extension increased with increasing tunnel spacing under both fixation settings, but the knee kinematics was not dramatically affected.
Conclusion:
Small changes in the femoral PL tunnel position could result in large changes in graft forces, implying that precise PL tunnel position is an important factor in a successful DB reconstruction.
