The posterior cruciate ligament, situated near the center of the knee,
functions as the basic stabilizer and is located close to the axis of
motion. We diagnosed and repaired thirty-two consecutive acute tears of the
posterior cruciate ligament associated with tears of medial or
lateral-compartment ligaments, or of both. Of the twenty-nine knees that we
could evaluate, twenty-three demonstrated a 2+ to 3+ positive abduction or
adduction stress test done in maximum extension and a positive anterior
drawer test done in maximum internal rotation, while only nine had a
definitely positive posterior drawer test. In all knees we repaired the
tears, using the medial meniscus as a graft in nine knees in which the
repair of the posterior cruciate ligament did not produce immediate
adequate stability at operation. Five to sixteen years after operation,
twenty of these twenty-nine knees were available for evaluation. The
objective results were good in thirteen, fair in four, and poor in
three.