Reconstruction of the posterior cruciate ligament with LAD-augmented semitendinosus and gracilis tendons: a preliminary report.

Abstract

We present our technique for reconstruction of the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) using the semitendinosus and gracilis tendons with the Kennedy ligament augmentation device (LAD). The safe and excellent exposure of the posterior aspect of the knee allowed us to identify the most isometric position in the intercondylar notch of the femur. In addition to this advantage, firm fixation of the LAD-augmented tendons with staples prevented the tibia from sagging posteriorly during early protected motion of the knee. Evaluation of 12 patients followed for more than 2 years showed 9 (75%) good results. In this small series no correlation was found between clinical results and the number of major structures injured, indicating that postoperative care is as important as isometric placement of the PCL in obtaining satisfactory results.