Inferior Medial Geniculate Artery Branch as an Anatomical Landmark for Hamstring Harvest During Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Abstract

Graft harvesting is often a challenging step of anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions. Accurate isolation of the hamstring tendons at the pes anserinus is crucial to successful graft harvesting. We describe a technique of using a branch of the inferior medial geniculate artery overlying the pes anserinus insertion as an anatomical landmark to localize the hamstring tendons for harvest. By using this vessel as an anatomical landmark, the incision length was decreased and the time required to harvest reduced. This is a highly reproducible technique and will be beneficial for soft tissue harvesting surgeons to ease hamstring graft harvesting.