Yongtao Mao

Chief Physician
Department of Joint Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University

Knee sports medicine, with a focus on the anterior cruciate ligament

ACL Evidence Book · 8.2.1

2026.10.03v1.0

Anatomic Localization of the ACL Femoral Attachment

Viewed arthroscopically at 90° of flexion, the center of the whole ACL femoral attachment lies about 6 mm on the low side of the lateral intercondylar ridge and about 2 mm deep to the bifurcate ridge; on three-dimensional CT, tunnel position is judged against a reference point at about 28%–30% depth and 35% height and by the relation of the aperture to that ridge.

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More from the ACL Evidence Book

ACL Evidence Book · 1.22026.10.03

Insertion Sites of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament

Studies agree on where the ACL attaches to the femur and tibia, but published attachment areas differ several-fold depending on which part of the attachment was measured, and center coordinates depend on the reference grid and on how the center is defined. The review percentiles and regional averages often used as targets describe study means, not individual knees, and cannot be used to judge whether a tunnel is acceptable.