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Contact pressure and tension in anterior cruciate ligament grafts subjected to roof impingement during passive extension
Author(s) -
Goss Ben C.,
Hull M. L.,
Howell Stephen M.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
journal of orthopaedic research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.041
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1554-527X
pISSN - 0736-0266
DOI - 10.1002/jor.1100150216
Subject(s) - anterior cruciate ligament , cadaveric spasm , medicine , roof , orthodontics , surgery , materials science , structural engineering , engineering
Contact between an anterior cruciate ligament graft and the intercondylar roof has been termed roof impingement. Grafts with impingement sustain permanent damage, and if the injury is extensive enough, then the graft may fail, causing recurrent instability. This study evaluated two mechanical factors that could be responsible for the graft injury associated with roof impingement: an increase in graft tension or elevated pressures between the graft and the roof, or both. An anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction was performed using an Achilles tendon graft in five fresh‐frozen cadaveric knees. Using a six‐degree‐of‐freedom load application system, the anterior displacement of the knee with the native anterior cruciate ligament was restored in the reconstructed knee at a flexion angle of 30° and with an anterior force of 200 N applied. Pressure between the graft and intercondylar roof, graft tension, and flexion angle were measured during passive knee extension for three tibial tunnel placements (anterior, center, and posterior). Intercondylar roof impingement increased the contact pressure between the graft and the roof but had no significant effect on graft tension. Therefore, during passive knee extension, the contact pressure between the anterior cruciate ligament graft and the intercondylar roof is a more likely cause of graft damage than increased graft tension.