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Combined morphometric features of ACL and femoral notch influenced risk of ACL injury
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Study results showed the risk of suffering a noncontact anterior cruciate ligament injury was influenced by a combination of morphometric features of both the anterior cruciate ligament and the femoral notch.
Researchers obtained MRI scans of the bilateral knees from 88 case-control pairs matched for age, sex and participation on the same sports team. All patients had suffered a grade-III, first-time, noncontact ACL tear.
The researchers measured the femoral notch width at four locations, the thickness of the bony ridge at the anteromedial outlet of the femoral notch, the femoral notch volume, ACL volume and ACL cross-sectional area.
Through a multivariate analysis, the researchers identified decreased ACL volume, decreased femoral notch width and increased bony ridge thickness at the anteromedial outlet of the femoral notch as significant independent predictors of an ACL injury. Through separate analyses of male and female patients, the researchers also found femoral notch ridge may be more strongly associated with a risk in female patients, whereas ACL volume was more strongly associated with a risk in male patients.
The association between ACL volume and the risk of injuries in women was strengthened when statistical analysis was performed with an adjustment for body weight, according to the researchers.
Disclosure: This research was supported by a National Institutes of Health grant and Department of Energy grant.
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