Repair: a viable option for management of medial collateral ligament injury during primary total knee arthroplasty

Intraoperative injury to the medial collateral ligament (MCL) is a rare but important potential complication of total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Our group recently published a retrospective review of 45 intraoperative injuries to the MCL that were managed with intraoperative repair (1). Specifically, for mid-substance lacerations, end-to-end suture repair was performed; for avulsions, screw/washer constructs or suture anchors were used for reattachment. Additionally, patients wore an unlocked hinged knee brace for 6 weeks postoperatively.