Notch impingement is when a cruciate ligament graft is wrongly placed or too bulky, and the fibres impinge on the roof of the bony notch of the femur.
Page updated January 2024 by Dr Sheila Strover (Clinical Editor)
Notch impingement and the Cyclops Lesion
Impingement may prevent the knee from straightening fully, and sometimes the impinging bit bunches up into a lump called a 'cyclops lesion' which can also add a 'clunk' as the person forces the knee into extension (ie straight). Eventually it may become impossible to fully extend the knee.
Quick links
Forum discussions
- How to avoid another cyclops
A patient develops a cyclops lesion after ACL replacement and meniscus repair.
Peer-reviewed papers
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Quote:
"....important anatomic risk factors in ACL tears are the morphometric parameters of the intercondylar notch....[and] the relative angular position of the tibia with respect to the femur"
Citation: Fernández-Jaén T, López-Alcorocho JM, Rodriguez-Iñigo E, Castellán F, Hernández JC, Guillén-García P. The Importance of the Intercondylar Notch in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tears. Orthop J Sports Med. 2015 Aug 5;3(8):2325967115597882. doi: 10.1177/2325967115597882. PMID: 26535388; PMCID: PMC4622305.
Impingement -
from the Experts -
- Journal interpretation - 2016 - Cyclops lesion after ACL Reconstruction - by Ms Michelle Boucher (Physician Assistant)
- Journal interpretation - 2016 - ACL reconstruction failure and revisions - by Dr Frank R Noyes (Knee Surgeon)