Abstract
BackgroundAlthough the stenotic femoral intercondylar notch was associated with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, the parameters for notch assessment were numerous. The present study aimed to compare the 2-dimensional (2D) femoral notch parameters, including the notch width (NW) and notch width index (NWI), with the 3-dimensional (3D) notch volume based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), to determine appropriate femoral parameters for ACL injuries.MethodsTwo hundred forty individuals were included in this study, including 120 patients with ACL ruptures and 120 age- and gender-matched individuals without ACL ruptures. The NWs and NWIs were measured at four sites (the popliteal groove, the notch inlet and outlet, and the ACL attachment), and the notch volumes were calculated. The Pearson correlation coefficients between the 2D and 3D parameters were calculated. A multivariate analysis of the ACL injuries was conducted with these parameters and the demographic data.ResultsThe associations of the NW and NWI with the notch volume at each of the four locations of the femoral notch were poor in the subgroup analysis, with the exception of the NW in the male ACL-intact group (R = 0.307, 0.256, 0.404 and 0.387 at the popliteal groove, notch inlet and outlet, and ACL attachment, respectively). The multivariate analysis revealed that the notch volume (OR = 0.679, P < 0.001) and the NW at the popliteal groove (OR = 0.844, P = 0.004), notch inlet (OR = 0.720, P < 0.001) and ACL attachment (OR = 0.871, P = 0.028) were predictable parameters to the risk of ACL injuries.ConclusionsThe correlations between the 2D parameters and the 3D volumes were weak. The notch volume and the NW at the popliteal groove, notch inlet and ACL attachment were useful parameters for predicting the risk of ACL injuries.Level of evidenceLevel III, case-control study.
Highlights
The stenotic femoral intercondylar notch was associated with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, the parameters for notch assessment were numerous
The demographic data, notch width (NW), notch width index (NWI) and notch volumes of the participants are displayed in Table 2, which includes the statistical results for the overall data and the subgroup data of the ACL-injured males, ACL-intact males, ACL-injured females and ACL-intact females
The correlations between the 2D parameters and the 3D femoral notch volume are displayed in Table 3, which includes the overall data analysis and the subgroup analyses
Summary
The stenotic femoral intercondylar notch was associated with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, the parameters for notch assessment were numerous. Decreased femoral intercondylar notch size is associated with an increased risk of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, as reported by numerous studies [1]. This phenomenon is mainly due to the ACL impinging on the lateral femoral condyle within a stenotic notch. The NW at different sites of the notch and corresponding NWI have been put forward These measurements include the width at the notch inlet (NW_in), the width at the notch outlet (NW_ou), and the ACL attachment (NW_aa), etc. One of the possible reasons for this discrepancy is that all of these 2D parameters can only denote the notch size of one location, which cannot adequately describe the 3-dimensional (3D) space
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