Morphometric Measurements of Posterior Cruciate Ligament and its Clinical Implications: A Cadaveric Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL) is a band like structure which tightly adheres to femur and tibia with collagen fibres. It is considered as an active and primary stabiliser of the knee joint and it acts as the principal restraint against posterior tibial translation. Its anatomical knowledge is necessary for practicing surgeons. Aim: To study the morphometric parameters of total length and width of Posterior Cruciate Ligaments (PCL) at three points (proximal, central and distal) on both knee joints and their clinical correlation. Materials and Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted at Smt. Bikhiben Kinjal Shah Medical Institute and Research Centre, Sumandeep Vidyapeeth Deemed to be University, Vadodara, Gujarat from August 2021 to May 2022. This cadaveric study was conducted over 40 knee joints of 20 formalin fixed cadavers of unknown sex and measured the length and width of PCL with the help of digital caliper. Total Length and width (proximal, central and distal) of PCL were measured and Mean±Standard Deviation (Mean±SD) were recorded. Independent t-test and Karl Pearson’s Correlation coefficient were used to find out any possible association and correlation for various morphometric measures of right and left knee at 5% and 1% level of significance respectively. Statistical analysis was done by the trial version of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21.0. Results: Total length of PCL of right and left knee was 33.19± 3.09 mm and 33.12±3.40 mm, and range between 23.4-37.9 mm and 23.8-38.0 mm respectively. The measurements of the width of PCL at different levels (proximal, central and distal) of right knee were 9.07±1.24 mm, 10.44±1.75 mm and 9.10±1.46 mm respectively while in left knee they were 9.33±1.67 mm, 10.32±1.99 mm and 9.29±1.70 mm respectively. T-test showed that there was no association for considered morphometric measures between right and left knee at α=5%. The correlation assessment showed strong positive correlations between left and right sides for both knees at different levels which were significant p-value <0.001. However, no correlation was found between length and width (proximal, central and distal) for both knees. Conclusion: This study gives the valuable result of parameters of length and width of PCL which helps for orthopedic surgeons in the surgery and grafting of ligament in the case of trauma.