Suture Pullout Technique of Acute Anterior Cruciate Ligament Femoral Avulsion Repair

It was in the early 1900s that anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) repair was first described with its resurgence in the mid-1900s. It however failed to gain popularity because of unsatisfactory early outcomes as a result of poorly selected patients. We describe a suture pullout technique of acute ACL repair in a carefully selected cohort of patients. Healing capabilities similar to that of the proximal medial collateral ligament have been shown in the proximal ACL avulsions. Adding microfracture of the lateral wall of the notch further enhances the healing environment by countering the synovial fluid environment. Acute ACL repair when performed in a carefully selected patient leads to good results and saves the patient of a reconstruction procedure.