Primary Repair of the Lateral Collateral Ligament Using Additional Suture Augmentation

Injuries to the lateral collateral ligament (LCL) most commonly occur with concomitant cruciate ligament tears. Over the past decade, there has been increased interest in anatomic reconstruction of the posterolateral corner (PLC). Not much attention has been paid to anatomic primary LCL repair given the historically high failure rates of primary repair of lateral sided knee ligaments, but better outcomes can now be expected because of recent developments in additional suture augmentation. The purpose of this Technical Note is to describe the surgical technique of primary distal LCL repair using suture augmentation. Using this procedure, the native ligament is preserved while allowing early mobilization as suture augmentation is protective of the repaired ligament.