A New Methodology for the Accurate Measurement of Tibiofemoral Kinematics in Human Cadaveric Knees: An Evaluation of the Anterior–Posterior Laxity Pre- and Post-Cruciate Ligament Resection

Anterior–posterior (AP) stability is an important measure of knee performance after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). To improve the stabilizing effect of implants designed to compensate for the loss of the cruciate ligaments, it is important to understand the tibiofemoral contact situation within the native ligamentous situation of the knee and how it changes after cruciate ligament resection. This in vitro study introduces a new approach to accurately measure the tibiofemoral kinematics in a six-degrees-of-freedom joint motion simulator by tracking landmark-based coordinate systems and their corresponding bone geometries. The tibiofemoral contact situation was investigated by projecting the medial and lateral flexion facet centers onto the tibial plateau under AP shear forces across various flexion angles in thirteen knees. Tests were conducted pre- and post-cruciate ligament resection. Post-cruciate ligament resection, the femoral condyles shifted closer to or even exceeded the posterior border of the tibial plateau, but only slightly closer to the anterior border. This study presents a new methodology for measuring the tibiofemoral kinematics that can be applied to multiple loading profiles. It provides a basis for further investigations, including passive or active muscle forces, to enhance the design of total knee protheses and improve surgical outcomes.