Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

The Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) is comprised of bands of fibrous connective tissue and is the primary source of stability for the knee joint.  When torn or ruptured, the ACL must be replaced or reconstructed.  Due to the nature of the tissue, ACL tears can rarely by repaired by suturing the damaged ligament.  

ACL tears are the most common and difficult to treat sports related injury to the knee.  In 2003 an estimated 235,000 ACL injuries were treated surgically in the U.S.  An estimated 500,000 ACL reconstructions were performed worldwide, and this number is projected to grow by 3% per annum for the next ten years.  

Today, an estimated 90% of all ligament replacement surgery is performed using the patient’s own tissue (autograft).  This technique requires a second surgical site,  a longer operative period (cost), and results in a slower and more difficult rehabilitation period for the patient.  The remainder of ligament surgeries are performed using allograft (cadaver) tissue. 

Allograft tissue has been shown to have inconsistent physical characteristics, resulting from the broad range in age and physical condition of tissue donors.  In addition, while allograft tissue is generally safe, there does remain a risk of disease transmission. Furthermore, supply of cadaver ACL tissue remains extremely constrained, and the demand for quality tissue significantly outstrips supply.

CrossCart’s Z-Lig ACL device is a Z-Process treated, sterile, ready to implant porcine derived bone-patellar tendon-bone implant.   The Z-Lig device is very similar to allograft ACL devices in appearance. The surgical technique used to implant the Z-Lig is the same as well established allograft surgical techniques.  The Z-Lig device provides the knee with structural support immediately upon implantation and, like allograft, serves as a scaffold for cellular in-growth.  When implanted, the Z-Lig device contains no live cells.  The Z-Lig is gradually repopulated and remodeled by the patient’s own cells, eventually yielding a mature ligament by the process of “ligamentization”. 

The Z-Lig addresses current shortcomings associated with autograft and allograft procedures.  By eliminating the need for a second surgical site, the amount of pain and rehabilitation time experienced by the patient is significantly reduced.  Additionally, the Z-Lig addresses the supply shortage of allograft tissue.