Posterior Cruciate Ligament: Current Concepts Review

The posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) is the largest and strongest ligament in the human knee, and the primary posteriorstabilizer. Recent anatomy and biomechanical studies have provided an improved understanding of PCL function. PCLinjuries are typically combined with other ligamentous, meniscal and chondral injuries. Stress radiography has becomean important and validated objective measure in surgical decision making and post-operative assessment. Isolatedgrade I or II PCL injuries can usually be treated non-operatively. However, when acute grade III PCL ruptures occurtogether with other ligamentous injury and/or repairable meniscal body/root tears, surgery is indicated. Anatomic singlebundlePCL reconstruction (SB-PCLR) typically restores the larger anterolateral bundle (ALB) and represents the mostcommonly performed procedure. Unfortunately, residual posterior and rotational tibial instability after SB-PCLR hasled to the development of an anatomic double-bundle (DB) PCLR to restore the native PCL footprint and co-dominantbehavior of the anterolateral and posteromedial bundles and re-establish normal knee kinematics. The purpose of thisarticle is to review the pertinent details regarding PCL anatomy, biomechanics, injury diagnosis and treatment options,with a focus on arthroscopically assisted DB-PCLR.