Physeal Sparing ACL Reconstruction for Pediatric Patients

Due to increased participation in sports, injuries to the ACL are becoming more frequent in children. While performing an ACL reconstruction, a physeal-sparing approach is necessary to avoid damage to the growth plates at the ends of the long bones. There are two main physeal-sparing approaches: Extraphyseal Iliotibial Band Reconstruction (ITBR) and All-Epiphyseal Reconstructions (AER). In the ITBR bone drilling is avoided, In the AER technique, bone tunnels are drilled within the epiphyses.