cruciate retaining

A cruciate retaining knee implant leaves an intact posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) in the back of the knee to help with knee flexion and ligament tension. The advocates of the CR knee design claim less bone removal from the femur, easier femoral component revision, and tighter ligaments in the back of the knee. The opponents of the CR knee claim that the PCL is weakened in arthritic patients, the PCL does not help with knee flexion in a total knee replacement (no femoral roll back), the PCL might rupture and lead to late instability, and that ligament balancing is harder and less predictable with a cruciate retaining knee implant.