Morphometry and magnetic resonance imaging of anterior cruciate ligament and measurement of secondary signs of anterior cruciate ligament tear

Abstract

Injuries or over-stretching of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) may lead to its malfunctioning. ACL tear, partial or complete, canto the result of contact or non-contact injuries. To conduct morphometry of ACL, twenty six knees (14 right and 12 left) were examined in 21 male and 5 female formalin fixed cadavers. Measurement of tibial foot print of ACL, distance of its anterior edge from the anterior margin of tibia, length and width of ACL were determined with the help of digital caliper. Indirect signs of ACL tear (sagittal ACL-tibial angle, coronal ACL - tibial angle, Blumensaat line - ACL angle and angle of inclination of the intercondylar roof) complement the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) diagnosis of ACL injury. We also studied the consequences of meniscal and posterior cruciate ligament injuries on above mentioned angles. In addition 84 MRI images of knees of patients aged between 18 - 74 years were evaluated for diagnosis of any disruption in the morphology of ACL. In our study, mean length of the tibial foot print of ACL was 18.34 ± 3.49 mm, mean width of tibial foot print was 15.26 ± 2.01, mean distance from the anterior edge of tibia to anterior margin of attachment of ACL was 13.11 ± 2.34, length and width of ACL were 32.5 ± 4.33 mm and 9.38 ± 1.58 mm, respectively. The present study will be useful for enhancing the knowledge of anatomy of ACL and may act as a valuable guide for radiologists in evaluating the injury to knee involving ACL, menisci and PCL (Tab. 5, Fig. 9, Ref. 17). anterior cruciate ligament, magnetic resonance imaging, posterior cruciate ligament, meniscus, tibia, tear, injury.