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ACL injuries affect the lives of hundreds of thousands of people each year. While ACL reconstruction via tendon graft is able to restore gross stability to the knee, the procedure is far from a perfect treatment. Challenges such as high failure rates in adolescent athletes and the inability to slow the accelerated progression of arthritis after an ACL rupture, for example, drive interest in developing new methods of treatment. The ACL Handbook takes a complete view of ACL injuries and treatments, discussing:
-Mechanics of the normal ACL and knee
-The body s response to ACL injury
-Deficiencies of that biological response which prevent ACL injuries from healing spontaneously
-Development of new treatment methods to overcome these deficiencies
Ideal for orthopedists, sports medicine physicians, and physical therapists, The ACL Handbook is a unique resource for information on the basic and applied science of ACL injury, repair, and the future of treatment.
List of contents
ACL Injury Epidemiology.- History of ACL Treatment and Current Gold Standard of Care.- ACL Clinical Outcomes.- ACL Treatment in the Skeletally Immature Patient.- The Biology of the Normal ACL.- The Role of Inflammation and Blood Cells in Wound Healing.- The ACL Response to Injury.- The Biology of Impaired Healing of Joint Issues.- Translational Medicine.- In Vitro Models of ACL Injury.- In Vivo Models of ACL Injury (Central Defect, Porcine, Ovine, Canine).- Tissue Engineering of Ligaments and Tendons.- Outcome Assessment for ACL Tissue Engineering.- Scaffolds and Biologic Additives for ACL Surgery.- Use of Biologics to Treat Partial ACL Tears.- Can We Get a Complete ACL Tear to Heal?.- The Effects of Platelets and Their Concentration on ACL Healing.- The Effects of WBCs and RBCs on Ligament Healing.- Safety of the Bioenhanced Repair.- Re-Innervation and Revascularization in Engineered ACL Healing.- Bio-enhancement of ACL Graft Healing.- The Effects of Age and Skeletal Maturity on Healing of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament.
Summary
The new age of biologic treatment of the ACL is coming. In The ACL Handbook: Knee Biology, Mechanics, and Treatment, the authors cover the past and current state of ACL injuries and treatment, and then introduce and explain the key concepts for understanding the new biologic approach to ACL treatment. The use of factors to enhance graft healing are reviewed, as well as an in-depth review of the science of platelet-rich plasma and its cellular components (platelets, white cells, and plasma). Chapters on in vitro models for science as well as the advantages and disadvantages of animal models for ACL research are included, as are chapters on the new technique of bio-enhanced ACL repair. All are discussed in easily readable text aimed at anyone with an interest of what is coming next in ACL surgery.
