Georgia Tech and Mines ParisTech inventors have developed a prosthetic device for the replacement of the ACL. This invention is a synthetic alternative to biological grafts. It has multiple features to sustain and promote healing in the bone tunnel and aspects of this device can be coated with osseointegration-promoting materials. The design of this device gives the surgeon multiple options for fixation including using a suspensory fixation, an aperture fixation, or both.
- Simpler - Simplifies the operation
- Safer - Prevents unnecessary damage and morbidity at a donor site
- Readily available - Obviate need for harvest procedure
- ACL replacement
The ACL is a load bearing structure connecting the femur to the tibia. ACL tearing is a relatively common knee injury often requiring surgical reconstruction, a procedure in which the damaged ACL is replaced with a graft suspended between tunnels drilled in the tibia and femur. Currently, the most commonly used ACL replacements are autografts and allographs created from harvested sections of the patellar tendon or hamstrings. There is a need for a readily available device capable of replacing the ACL.