Skaneateles, N.Y.-based Victory Sports Medicine and Orthopedics surgeon Marc Pietropaoli, MD, performed a first-in-the-nation ACL repair surgery, according to a Nov. 17 report by ABC affiliate WSYR.
The surgery, performed in October and dubbed the Bridge Enhance ACL Restoration, was developed by Boston Children's Hospital surgeon Martha Murray, MD. It involves a "bridge" implant sewn between the two ends of the ligament, according to the report.
The procedure avoids tissue harvesting from other areas of the patient's body and has been shown to repair and regrow the ligament, according to the report. And because the nerve supply is preserved, the patient is left with a more "normal feeling" knee, Dr. Pietropaoli said.