Objectives: To compare the clinical outcomes of isolated anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction with combined reconstruction of the ACL and anterolateral ligament (ALL) of the knee. Methods: A search was conducted on the PubMed, Medline, Google Scholar, EMBASE, and Cochrane library databases, in line with the PRISMA protocol. The indexation terms used were “anterior cruciate ligament” OR “acl” AND “anterolateral ligament” AND “reconstruction.” Articles that compared patients submitted to combined ACL and ALL reconstruction with those submitted to isolated reconstruction of the ACL, with levels of evidence I, II, and III, were included. Studies with follow-up of less than 2 years and articles that did not use “anatomical” techniques for ALL reconstruction, such as extraarticular tenodesis, were excluded. A meta-analysis with R software was conducted, with a random effects model, presented as risk ratio (RR) or mean difference (MD), with a 95% confidence level (CI) and statistically significant at p < 0.05. Results: Ten articles were selected, with a total of 1495 patients, most of whom were men, of whom 674 submitted to ACL and ALL reconstruction and 821 to isolated ACL reconstruction. Combined ACL and ALL reconstruction exhibited a statistically significant advantage in residual pivot shift (RR 0.34, 95% CI 0.24–0.47, I² = 0%, p < 0.01), rerupture rate (RR 0.34, 95% CI 0.19–0.62, I² = 0%, p < 0.01), Lachman test (RR 0.59, 95% CI 0.40–0.86, I² = 21%, p < 0.01), and postoperative Lysholm score (MD 2.28, CI 95% 0.75–3.81, I² = 73%, p < 0.01). Conclusions: Combined ACL and ALL reconstruction obtained better postoperative clinical outcomes when compared with isolated ACL reconstruction, especially in reducing residual pivot shift and rerupture rate.

Meta-analysis is an adequate statistical technique to combine results from different studies, and its use has been growing in the medical field. Thus, not only knowing how to interpret meta-analysis, but also knowing how to perform one, is fundamental today. Therefore, the objective of this article is to present the basic concepts and serve as a guide for conducting a meta-analysis using R and RStudio software. For this, the reader has access to the basic commands in the R and RStudio software, necessary for conducting a meta-analysis. The advantage of R is that it is a free software. For a better understanding of the commands, two examples were presented in a practical way, in addition to revising some basic concepts of this statistical technique. It is assumed that the data necessary for the meta-analysis has already been collected, that is, the description of methodologies for systematic review is not a discussed subject. Finally, it is worth remembering that there are many other techniques used in meta-analyses that were not addressed in this work. However, with the two examples used, the article already enables the reader to proceed with good and robust meta-analyses. Level of Evidence V, Expert Opinion.

Recently described in the medical literature, the anterolateral ligament of the knee is already considered an important stabilizer against the anterolateral tibial rotation, affecting the pivot shift in the failure of the anterior cruciate ligament and behaving as an important secondary rotational stabilizer. The mechanism of anterolateral ligament injury combined with anterior cruciate ligament injury is similar to the mechanism of anterior cruciate ligament injury alone. Thus, the main objective of the joint reconstruction of anterior cruciate ligament and anterolateral ligament would be increased rotational control and prevention of anterior cruciate ligament re-rupture. In view of this importance, the aim of the present study is to summarize the evidence on the main surgical indications described for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction combined with lateral extra-articular tenodesis or anterolateral ligament reconstruction. A review of the literature was conducted in April 2017, through a search of the PubMed, MEDLINE, Cochrane, and Google Scholar databases, with no date limits. After reviewing the main articles in the subject, it was concluded that the main surgical indications described for anterior cruciate reconstruction combined with extra-articular lateral tenodesis or anterolateral ligament reconstruction are: anterior cruciate ligament revision, physical examination with pivotal shift grade 2 or 3, practice of sport with pivot mechanism and/or high level mechanism, ligament laxity and Segond fracture; Secondly, the following may also be indications: chronic anterior cruciate ligament injury, age less than 25 years old, and radiological sign of lateral femoral condyle depression. However, it is worth mentioning that more studies are still needed to prove these trends.

The number of studies and clinical interest in the anterolateral ligament of the knee (ALL) has grown in recent years. A meticulous and accurate ALL dissection is vital in anatomic and biomechanical studies, and a standardized technique is not yet established. As such, the aim of this study was to describe a step-by-step ALL dissection technique that could help authors consistently identify the ALL. Twenty knees from frozen adult cadavers, with no preference for sex or age, were included in the study. All the cadavers were dissected using the same technique to determine the incidence of the ALL. A transverse incision is performed in the iliotibial band (ITB), around 10 cm proximal to the topography of the lateral epicondyle of the femur. Next, the ITB undergoes anterograde blunt dissection until its insertion at Gerdy’s tubercle in the tibia. Maintaining biceps femoris insertion, a dissection is performed anteriorly to it, until the lateral collateral ligament (LCL) is found. Using the LCL, internal rotation and 30 to 60° flexion as references, the ALL can be located in the anterolateral topography of the knee, with its origin near the lateral epicondyle (proximal and posterior) and insertion between Gerdy’s tubercle and the fibula (4.0 mm to 7.0 mm below the tibial plateau), expanding to the lateral meniscus (between the body and anterior horn), exhibiting a mean length of 4.0 ± 0.4 cm and mean width of 5.5 ± 0.8 mm. The present article describes an effective and reproducible ALL dissection technique that made it was possible to identify the ligament in 100% of the cases in the present study.