Methods of reducing the "killer turn" effect in the posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction / 中华骨科杂志

ABSTRACT

The reconstruction of the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) through the tibial tunnel is the most commonly used reconstruction technique after ligament injury.However, when the graft passes through the tibial tunnel back to the medial condyle of the femur, a sharp angle is formed at the proximal end of the tibia, called the "killer turn". The existence of the "killer turn" can lead to graft wear and expansion of adjacent tibial tunnel after PCL reconstruction, affecting the stability of the posterior knee joint after operation and even leading to the failure of operation. There are several techniques, such as modifified tibial tunnel technique which the proximal exit of tibial tunnel is located in the inferior and lateral aspect of the PCL tibial anatomic insertion site, increasing the angle between the tibial tunnel and the tibial plateau, creating a tibial tunnel from the anterior lateral side of the tibia, remnant preserving as soft tissue cushion, and inlay and onlay techniques for reconstructing PCL without using tibial tunnel reconstruction, can reduce the "killer turn" effect. The above 6 techniques, theoretically, can effectively reduce or eliminate the "killer turn" effect and improve the posterior stability of the knee joint after PCL reconstruction, so as to improve the clinical efficacy of PCL reconstruction. But, the number of cases using these techniques is relatively small, and their effectiveness, reliability, and advantages and disadvantages for patients still need more clinical practice to further explore and verify.