Arthroscopic Primary Anterior Cruciate Ligament Repair With Suture Augmentation

Historically, poor results of open primary repair of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries have been reported. In hindsight, however, appropriate patient selection (i.e. proximal tears and good tissue quality) was not performed, because it has recently been recognized that good outcomes of primary ACL repair are possible when selectively performed in patients with proximal tears and good tissue quality. Moreover, with modern-day advances, arthroscopic primary repair can be an excellent treatment option for patients with proximal tears. Preserving the native ACL has several advantages, including maintaining native proprioceptive function and biology. The procedure is also minimally invasive and prevents the need for formal ACL reconstruction. Recently, it has been suggested that additional suture augmentation of the primary repair technique may be beneficial for protecting ligament healing during early range of motion. In this Technical Note, we present the surgical technique of arthroscopic primary repair with suture augmentation for patients with proximal ACL tears.