Knee: Ligamentous Injuries of the Knee

Abstract

Injuries of the knee causing ligament failure are common, especially in amateur and professional athletes. These injuries affect the anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments, the medial collateral ligamentous complex, or the lateral supporting structures, or combinations of these ligaments. The presence of marrow edema on MR images obtained shortly after the injury provide an important clue to accurate diagnosis and to the mechanism of the traumatic event. In this presentation, the effects of external and internal forces applied to the knee will be studied. The modifications in the distribution of the marrow edema caused by such factors as impaction/distraction, flexion, rotation, hyperextension, and translation will be illustrated. Stages of ligament injury during specific traumatic mechanisms will be discussed, and examples of some of the 010 most important mechanisms of knee injury will be shown.