Delos D. Harriman

FDA Provides Clearance of First-Ever Device for ACL Reconstruction in Children

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, January 10, 2023

NEW YORK, Jan. 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has provided clearance for use of the ACL TightRope® II implant as the first-ever device for reconstructing torn knee ligaments in children and adolescents. The technology is based on a related device commonly used in adults undergoing anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction, but with features specifically designed to accommodate the growing skeletons of young athletes. The key advantage of the new technique is that it allows surgeons to tension the graft sequentially to ensure proper fixation and strength and to utilize minimally invasive techniques to diminish damage to the growth plates while performing a successful reconstruction.

Key Points: 
  • The technology is based on a related device commonly used in adults undergoing anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction, but with features specifically designed to accommodate the growing skeletons of young athletes.
  • Cordasco and Green also developed pediatric- and young-adolescent-specific instrumentation guides to address an increasing population of injured high-risk young athletes.
  • Until relatively recently, however, surgeons were reluctant to operate on children whose growth plates in the legs had not fused.
  • MRI Signal Intensity of Quadriceps Tendon Autograft and Hamstring Tendon Autograft 1 Year After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in Adolescent Athletes.