Research on the Anterolateral Ligament of the Knee: An Evaluation of PubMed Articles From 2010 to 2019

BACKGROUND: The anterolateral ligament (ALL) of the knee remains a topic of interest. All aspects of the ligament, including its anatomy, biomechanics, imaging, and clinical importance, are areas for research among knee surgeons. PURPOSE: To evaluate the trends in research on the ALL of the knee, as indicated by studies indexed in PubMed from 2010 to 2019. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: We searched PubMed for article titles from January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2019, that included the term “anterolateral ligament.” The initial search was performed with the terms “anterolateral ligament AND knee” and “anterolateral ligament NOT knee.” Next, we performed a search using “anterolateral complex OR anterolateral reconstruction OR lateral extra-articular tenodesis” to avoid missing any studies. A bibliometric evaluation was performed for the search results, and we noted the characteristics of the most cited articles in PubMed. RESULTS: Published studies on the ALL peaked in 2017, with 56 studies, and then declined from 2017 to 2019. The 3 leading journals with articles on the ALL were Arthroscopy; Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy; and The American Journal of Sports Medicine. Cadaveric anatomic, cadaveric biomechanical, and clinical imaging studies of the ALL were the most common types of studies published from 2010 to 2019. Clinical studies on the ALL consisted of 18 articles, with the majority displaying a low level of evidence. CONCLUSION: Cadaveric anatomic/histological, cadaveric biomechanical, and clinical imaging studies of the ALL were the most commonly published studies from 2010 to 2019. More clinical outcome studies with a high level of evidence are needed to increase the supporting data for the future practice of ALL reconstruction.