Open AccessDrill wobble – effect on femoral tunnel aperture during anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction
Author(s) -
Alnusif Naser,
Hart Adam,
Baroudi Maher,
Marien Robert,
Burman Mark,
Martineau Paul A.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of experimental orthopaedics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.597
H-Index - 18
ISSN - 2197-1153
DOI - 10.1186/s40634-016-0073-1
Subject(s) - speed wobble , drill , orthopedic surgery , drilling , aperture (computer memory) , femur , anterior cruciate ligament , medicine , biomedical engineering , anatomy , orthodontics , materials science , surgery , engineering , physics , structural engineering , classical mechanics , metallurgy
Background In anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction performed using cortical button fixation on the femur, we have observed a “wobble” effect that can occur when a cannulated femoral drill is used over a guide pin that is not securely fixed in bone. Our study assessed the effect of drill “wobble” on femoral tunnel aperture in sawbones. Methods Femoral tunnels were drilled in sawbones, which had been divided in two groups of 10 each, per drilling technique. The “wobble” technique group had the smaller cortical button drill passed before drilling the graft socket with the bigger diameter femoral drill. In contrast, in the “non‐wobble” technique group, the smaller cortical button drill was passed after drilling the graft socket. The aperture dimensions: antero‐posterior, proximo‐distal and oblique, as well as the length of each tunnel, were measured. Results While the average dimensions of the tunnels were similar between the two techniques, there was significantly more variation in the antero‐posterior measurements for the wobble technique as compared to the non‐wobble technique (mean 7.3 mm, SD 0.28 mm, and mean 7.3 mm, SD 0.11 mm, respectively; Brown‐Forsythe test, p 0.02). Conclusion We conclude that using the “socket first” “non‐wobble” technique is a single surgical technical step surgeons can employ to decrease variability in tunnel aperture and size.