Freddie Fu, M.D., professor and chairman of orthopaedic surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) hosted two dozen of the world’s top orthopaedic knee surgeons and scientists for the Panther Global Summit on Anatomic Double-Bundle ACL Reconstruction, Feb. 28 – March 1, in Pittsburgh. The Summit was the largest-of-its kind international meeting to discuss the latest scientific knowledge and surgical advances for better knee ligament surgery, specifically the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).
Since the concept of anatomic double-bundle ACL reconstruction has potential to change the way ACL surgery has been performed for the last 30 years, the Panther Global Summit featured a lively academic discussion among international leaders to challenge the traditional thinking of orthopaedic surgeons and sports medicine physicians. Click here to see the Summit’s agenda and international faculty:
https://ccehs.upmc.edu/courses%5Cbrochure_1269.pdf.
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is the main stabilizer of the knee. More than 200,000 young active people will undergo ACL reconstruction surgery this year alone in the U.S. Many surgeons believe the traditional approach of repairing damaged ACLs is adequate, whereby the ACL is thought of as a single bundle of tissue and is replaced as such. However, numerous recent outcome studies show that 60 to 90 percent of traditional ACL surgery patients develop early onset of osteoarthritis and have less than desired knee stability and mobility.
Dr. Fu and his research team believe that the new type of ACL reconstruction, called the “double-bundle,” will prove to be better for the patient because it more completely restores the ACL’s natural anatomy, which actually consists of two bundles of tissue. Having performed more than 500 double-bundle procedures himself, Dr. Fu believes it better restores the knee’s full function and rotation, and may help prevent the early onset of osteoarthritis.