Influence of tibial plateau morphometric risk factors on ACL injury: A retrospective case control study

Abstract

Background: ACL injuries lead to significant disability among the injured, often requiring surgical reconstruction. Anatomical morphometric analysis helps us identify individuals who are more susceptible to incurring an ACL injury, despite activity modifications, thereby improving quality of life and decreasing the economic burden posed by a potential ACL injury. We explore the relation between morphometric variations in Tibial plateau measured by Medial Tibial plateau slope (MTS), lateral Tibial plateau slope (LTS), Medial Tibial plateau depth (MTD), Tibial eminence height (TEH), Tibial eminence width (TEW) on MRI in association with an ACL tear. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 269 patients who underwent knee MRI and clinical examination for suspected ACL pathology. Participants were divided into two groups – cases (ACL-injured) and controls (ACL-uninjured) based on MRI and clinical findings suggestive of a complete ACL tear. In both groups, MTS, LTS, MTD, TEH, TEW were calculated. Results: Patients with steeper MTS and LTS and shallower MTD had increased chances of sustaining an ACL injury (p<0.05). Variations in the Tibial eminence morphometrics, however, didn't show any significant association towards increased chances of an ACL injury. Apart from MTD (p<0.05), gender variations in Tibial morphometrics leading to ACL injury were insignificant.