Anatomic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: Freddie Fu's paradigm

Abstract

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction techniques have evolved over the past four decades. There is evidence that non-anatomic reconstruction techniques, such as traditional transtibial drilling, fail to recreate the native anatomy of the ACL, which can lead to increased rotatory knee instability, revision risk, and post-traumatic osteoarthritis. Anatomic ACL reconstruction has emerged as the gold standard, with the goal of restoring the patient's native anatomy and knee kinematics. This review will summarise the relevant anatomy, modern anatomic ACL reconstruction techniques, and literature supporting anatomic ACL reconstruction as the new paradigm. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level V, review article.

Keywords: Anatomic; Anterior cruciate ligament; Autograft; Knee; Reconstruction.