Computed tomography (CT), X-ray, and MRI evaluation of two anterolateral knee reconstruction techniques: lateral extra-articular tenodesis (LET) and the anterolateral ligament (ALL) reconstruction

The anterolateral ligament (ALL) and capsule of the knee are anatomical structures involved in rotational stability and pivot-shift control. As such, it has been demonstrated that the extra-articular anterolateral procedures improve clinical outcome when performed as an augmentation of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction in specific groups of patients. This review describes the postoperative imaging findings of two techniques used to perform these procedures, using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and radiography. The first technique described is the lateral extra-articular tenodesis (LET), which uses a strip of the iliotibial band that is harvested, passed underneath the lateral collateral ligament (LCL) and fixed posterior, and proximal to the lateral femoral epicondyle (LFE), preserving ITB insertion on Gerdy’s tubercle. The second technique described is the ALL reconstruction, a procedure that attempts to recreate the anatomy of the ALL, using most often a gracilis autograft. In this procedure, femoral fixation is performed proximal and posterior to the LFE, and tibial fixation is slightly distal to the joint line, halfway from Gerdy’s tubercle to the fibular head. The main objective of this review is to provide an overview of the postoperative imaging aspects of these two procedures with MRI, CT, and radiography and to describe possible complications. As they become more common, it is important for the radiologist and the orthopedic surgeon to understand their particularities in combination with the already well-known ACL reconstruction.