An endobutton is a fixation device to secure the upper end of a hamstrings graft during the procedure of cruciate ligament reconstruction. Page updated June 2024 by Dr Sheila Strover (Clinical Editor)
The endobutton at the top is an example of 'suspensory' cortical fixation, where the device is on the outside of the bone and suspends the ligament, which would be fixed at the lower end with perhaps an interference screw.
The endobutton can be manipulated by the 'strings' so that it can be turned longways to pull it through the tunnel, and then flipped sideways so that it cannot fall back into the tunnel once it is tensioned.
Gradual full range of motion with a brace may be allowed from the second week after surgery.
"...harvest of the hamstring tendon does not injure the extensor mechanism and produces less pain than harvest of the patellar tendon....[but] there is a certain elasticity in the graft-implant complex....resulting in graft-tunnel motion....[and] ....tunnel widening."