Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with anterolateral stabilization by a modified Lemaire technique in adolescent professional football player: a case report

Background: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear is one of the most common injuries in professional athletes. Additional procedures, such as anterolateral ligament reconstruction and lateral extra-articular tenodesis attempt to reduce rotational instability, the most common cause of re-injury in patients with a nonisolated ACL tear.

Case study: A 17-year-old professional football player suffered a right knee injury in a direct hit to the lateral side of the knee. Magnetic resonance imaging showed anterior cruciate ligament tear and lateral knee structures soft tissue contusion. Due to the injury of the lateral structures and the increased risk of ACL rerupture, it was decided to perform ACL reconstruction with additional anterolateral stabilization by a modified Lemaire technique without additional screw fixation in the area of the lateral femoral epicondyle, which could damage the epiphyseal plate and, concurrently, impair bone growth.

Conclusion: The addition of lateral extra-articular tenodesis by a modified Lemaire technique prevents rotational instability in a patient with expressed pivotshift before the surgery, without overconstraint of the knee and additional damage to the epiphyseal plate.