Anterior Crutiate Ligament Engineering
The
anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) plays a very important role in knee
stability and movement. There are between 100,000 and over 250,000
patients every year diagnosed with ACL disruptions with approximately
50,000 ligament reconstructions performed annually. It is the most
commonly injured ligament of the knee because of its poor healing
potential. Severe damage requires
surgical replacement of ACL completely.
In a recent
study of 17,397 patients with a total of 19,530 sport injuries over a
10-year period, 37% of the patients had knee injuries. Of the 37%,
45.4% of these cases had damaged ACL, and 33.9% of them required
surgery. The success rates for these surgeries and long term recovery
are in the range of 85-90%.
Bihan Chen
BME 240: Introduction to
Clinical Medicine