The reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament is of great importance to normal knee joint kinematics. Only the isometric reconstruction of the ACL with autologous tissue is viable for longterm function. For early functional follow-up treatment of ACL reconstruction with suture repair, however, augmentation with synthetic ligaments is necessary in order to prevent secondary instability. Anatomic, specimen-experimental, and materials technique were performed to demonstrate the importance of augmentation for ACL reconstruction. The postoperative clinical follow-up examination with LAD augmented ACL reconstructions showed very good results with regard to stability, mobility and function in more than 90 percent of the cases. Key words: anterior cruciate ligament, reconstruction, instability, augmentation.

Univ Klinik für Unfallchirurgie Wien Osterreich