Abstract: Cruciate ligament substitutes are formed using fan-folded iliotibial band grafts of fascia lata. Devices of making the same and methods of making and using the same are described herein. The thick fan-folded grafts of fascia lata cruciate ligament substitutes disclosed herein are used in a single-loop fashion and have surprisingly exhibited load to failure and stiffness values that compare favorably with conventional grafts, including tibialis anterior, tibialis posterior, peroneus longus, and bone-patellar tendon-bone (BPTB) half-patella specimens, when the harvested iliotibial band grafts of fascia lata avoid portions thicker than 5 mm, or even 3 mm.

Abstract: Cruciate ligament substitutes are formed using fan-folded fascia lata grafts. Devices of making the same and methods of making and using the same are described herein. The fan-folded fascia lata cruciate ligament substitutes disclosed herein are used in a single-loop fashion and have surprisingly exhibited load to failure and stiffness values that compare favorably with conventional grafts, including tibialis anterior, tibialis posterior, peroneus longus, and bone-patellar tendon-bone (BPTB) half-patella specimens. It has been demonstrated that single-loop, fan-folded fascia lata sheets can exhibit mechanical properties that compare favorably with existing cruciate ligament grafts. An apparatus for handling a fascia lata sheet can include a first and a second removable anchoring member.