Reconstruction of Anterior Cruciate Ligaments

An instrument set that includes two or more instruments for locating an attachment position for a reconstructed anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in a respective femur, each instrument of the instrument set comprising:

• a handle;
• a side piece comprising:
• a first surface shaped to fit at least in part against a lateral side wall of an intercondylar notch to locate the instrument relative to the respective femur, and
• a second surface configured to contact a roof of the intercondylar notch at the same time the first surface is at least in part against the lateral side wall of the intercondylar notch to locate the instrument relative to the respective femur;
• and
• a tip with a contact surface directed at least in part toward the second surface such that at least part of the contact surface forms an angle of less than 180 degrees with the second surface, wherein the contact surface is configured to contact a part of the respective femur at the same time the first surface is at least in part against the lateral side wall of the intercondylar notch and the second surface is contacting the roof of the intercondylar notch to locate the instrument relative to the respective femur;
• wherein some of the two or more instruments are different from one another based on a size of the respective femur to which the instrument is designed to be applied, wherein the instrument differences include different spatial relationships among the first surface, the second surface, and the tip of respective instruments defined by accumulation of anatomical measurement data from a statistically significant number of femurs such that a locating characteristic defines the attachment position for the reconstructed ACL.

A method of determining an attachment position for a reconstructed anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in a femur with a proximal end, a distal end, an anterior side, and a posterior side, the method comprising:

• passing a tip of a locating instrument to a position between a pair of condyles of the femur by moving the tip proximally relative to the femur from a position distal of the femur to the position between the pair of condyles of the femur:
• positioning the locating instrument along a side wall of an intercondylar notch of the femur at a desired anterior to posterior position relative to the femur along one of the condyles of the pair of condyles,
• positioning the tip of the locating instrument in contact with an anatomical reference on the femur that is proximal of the attachment position for a reconstructed ACL while the locating instrument is positioned along aside wall of the intercondylar notch of the femur at a desired anterior to posterior position relative to the femur along one of the condyles of the pair of condyles;
• and
• determining the attachment position for a reconstructed ACL on the side wall of the intercondylar notch of the femur by referencing one or more characteristics of the locating instrument relative to the tip of the locating instrument positioned in contact with an anatomical reference on the femur that is proximal of the attachment position for a reconstructed ACL.