The aim of this study was to reveal the influence of the morphological variations of the Blumensaat's line on anteromedial (AM) and posterolateral (PL) femoral tunnel position in anatomical double-bundle anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction.

Fifty-three subjects undergoing anatomical double-bundle ACL reconstruction were included (29 female, 24 male; median age 27.4 years; range: 14–50 years). Using an inside-out transportal technique, the PL tunnel position was made on a line drawn vertically from the bottommost point of the lateral condyle at 90 degrees of knee flexion, spanning a distance of 5 to 8 mm, to the edge of the joint cartilage. AM tunnel position was made 2 mm distal to the PL tunnel position. Following Iriuchishima's classification, the morphology of the Blumensaat's line was classified into straight and hill (large and small) types. Femoral tunnel position was determined using the quadrant method. A Mann–Whitney U test was performed to compare straight and hill type knees according to AM and PL femoral tunnel position.

There were 18 straight and 35 hill type knees (13 small and 22 large hill). AM and PL femoral tunnel position in straight type knees were 21.7 ± 7.0 and 33.6 ± 10.5% in the shallow–deep direction, and 42.1 ± 11.1 and 72.1 ± 8.5% in the high–low direction, respectively. In hill type knees, AM and PL femoral tunnel position were 21.3 ± 5.8 and 36.9 ± 7.1% in the shallow–deep direction, and 44.6 ± 10.7 and 72.1 ± 9.7% in the high–low direction, respectively. No significant difference in AM or PL femoral tunnel position was detected between straight and hill type knees.

AM and PL femoral tunnel position in anatomical double-bundle ACL reconstruction was not affected by the morphological variations of the Blumensaat's line. Surgeons do not need to consider Blumensaat's line morphology if AM and PL femoral tunnel position is targeted at the bottommost point of the lateral condyle. This was a level of evidence III study.

Received: 03 October 2023

Accepted: 08 February 2024

Accepted Manuscript online:
09 February 2024

Article published online:
04 March 2024

© 2024. Thieme. All rights reserved.

Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc.
333 Seventh Avenue, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10001, USA