scholarly journals Distribution of Bone Contusion Patterns in Acute Noncontact Anterior Cruciate Ligament–Torn Knees

2021 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 404-409
Author(s):  
Sophia Y. Kim-Wang ◽  
Melissa B. Scribani ◽  
Michael B. Whiteside ◽  
Louis E. DeFrate ◽  
Tally E. Lassiter ◽  
...  

Background: Bone contusions are commonly observed on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in individuals who have sustained a noncontact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Time from injury to image acquisition affects the ability to visualize these bone contusions, as contusions resolve with time. Purpose: To quantify the number of bone contusions and their locations (lateral tibial plateau [LTP], lateral femoral condyle [LFC], medial tibial plateau [MTP], and medial femoral condyle [MFC]) observed on MRI scans of noncontact ACL-injured knees acquired within 6 weeks of injury. Study Design: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed clinic notes, operative notes, and imaging of 136 patients undergoing ACL reconstruction. The following exclusion criteria were applied: MRI scans acquired beyond 6 weeks after injury, contact ACL injury, and previous knee trauma. Fat-suppressed fast spin-echo T2-weighted MRI scans were reviewed by a blinded musculoskeletal radiologist. The number of contusions and their locations (LTP, LFC, MTP, and MFC) were recorded. Results: Contusions were observed in 135 of 136 patients. Eight patients (6%) had 1 contusion, 39 (29%) had 2, 41 (30%) had 3, and 47 (35%) had 4. The most common contusion patterns within each of these groups were 6 (75%) with LTP for 1 contusion, 29 (74%) with LTP/LFC for 2 contusions, 33 (80%) with LTP/LFC/MTP for 3 contusions, and 47 (100%) with LTP/LFC/MTP/MFC for 4 contusions. No sex differences were detected in contusion frequency in the 4 locations ( P > .05). Among the participants, 50 (37%) had medial meniscal tears and 52 (38%) had lateral meniscal tears. Conclusion: The most common contusion patterns observed were 4 locations (LTP/LFC/MTP/MFC) and 3 locations (LTP/LFC/MTP).

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (7_suppl4) ◽  
pp. 2325967118S0013
Author(s):  
Neil Kumar ◽  
Tiahna Spencer ◽  
Edward Hochman ◽  
Mark P. Cote ◽  
Robert A. Arciero ◽  
...  

Objectives: Meniscal injuries are commonly observed with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) deficiency. A subset of these injuries includes tears of the medial meniscus at the posterior meniscocapsular junction, or ramp lesions. Biomechanical studies have indicated that ramp injuries may compromise anterior stability of the knee, even after ACL reconstruction (ACLR). These lesions are not consistently diagnosed with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). One criterion that shows promise is the presence of posterior medial tibial plateau (PMTP) edema. A correlation of PMTP edema and peripheral posterior horn medial meniscal injuries has been observed in the literature. We evaluated a consecutive series of patients who underwent ACLR for incidence of ramp tears. These patients were then compared to patients with non-ramp (meniscal body) medial meniscal tears. The utility of PMTP edema on preoperative MRI for ramp tear diagnosis was then determined. Methods: A retrospective chart review via an institutional database search identified 892 patients who underwent ACLR by one of two senior authors (R.A.A., C.E.) between January 2006 and June 2016. Operative notes identified patients diagnosed arthroscopically with medial meniscal lesions, including ramp lesions. Arthroscopic identification was the gold standard for diagnosis of both ramp and non-ramp (meniscal body) tears. Demographic information such as age, sex, laterality, mechanism of injury (contact/noncontact), sport, revision procedure, multi-ligament procedure, time to MRI, and time to surgery were recorded. Patients without available operative records were excluded. Preoperative MRIs were obtained for all patients and reviewed by an orthopaedic sports medicine fellow for PMTP edema. Axial, coronal, and sagittal T2 and proton-density sequences were utilized. A MRI was considered positive if edema was detected in 2 different planes of sequences. Differences between groups were analyzed with two-sample t test or Chi square test Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models analyzed the relationships among patient factors, MRI findings, and ramp lesions. Results: 852 patients met the inclusion criteria for analysis. 307 patients were diagnosed with medial meniscal tear at the time of ACLR, 127 of which were ramp lesions. The overall incidence of ramp tear was 14.9% and consisted of 41.4% of all medial meniscal tears. Patients with ramp tears were mean 7.5 years younger than patients with meniscal body tears ( p<0.01). There was no difference between the groups in regard to mechanism of injury, revision surgery, or multi-ligamentous injury. Patients with delayed ACLR were at 3.3x greater odds ( p<0.01) of having meniscal body tear compared to ramp lesion. MRI was available for review in 178 patients, 97 of whom had positive MRI for PMTP edema. Sensitivity and specificity of PMTP edema for ramp tear was 66.3% and 55.1%, respectively. Of patients with PMTP edema, 54.6% had ramp lesions and 45.4% had non-ramp tears ( p<0.01). Patients with preoperative MRI positive for PMTP edema were at 2.1 times greater odds ( p<0.01) of having sustained a ramp tear compared to a meniscal body tear. Conclusion: The incidence of ramp tear was 14.9% and was more prevalent in younger patients. Delayed ACLR resulted in 3.3x greater odds of meniscal body tears compared to ramp tears. Patients with PMTP edema on preoperative MRI were at 2.1x greater odds to have ramp lesions compared to a meniscal body tears at the time of ACL reconstruction.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 232596712096712
Author(s):  
Audrie Chavez ◽  
Andrew E. Jimenez ◽  
Dietrich Riepen ◽  
Benjamin Schell ◽  
Michael Khazzam ◽  
...  

Background: Previous research has shown that meniscal and articular cartilage lesions increase with time in the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)–deficient knee. Purpose: To analyze the association between increased time from ACL injury to reconstruction and the presence of intra-articular lesions. Design: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed for patients who sustained an ACL injury and underwent reconstruction from January 1, 2009, to May 14, 2015. Factors analyzed included age, sex, and body mass index, as well as time from injury to surgery, the presence of meniscal tears, and the presence of cartilage lesions. The data were evaluated to quantify the association between time from ACL injury to reconstruction and presence of intra-articular lesions. Results: Overall, 405 patients were included in this study. Regarding time from injury, 27.3% patients were treated at <3 months, 23.6% at 3 to <6 months, 18% at 6 to <12 months, 13.6% at 12 to <24 months, 10.6% at 24 to <60 months, and 6.9% at ≥60 months. When compared with the group treated <3 months from injury, a significant increase in the rate of medial meniscal tears was seen in the groups treated at 6 to <12 months (odds ratio [OR], 2.2), 12 to <24 months (OR, 3.5), 24 to <60 months (OR, 7.0), and ≥60 months (OR, 6.3). A similar trend was seen with medial femoral condyle lesions in the groups treated at 6 to <12 months (OR, 2.5), 12 to <24 months (OR, 2.6), 24 to <60 months (OR, 2.6), and ≥60 months (OR, 6.9). The prevalence of lateral tibial plateau and lateral femoral condyle lesions also significantly increased with increased time between ACL injury and reconstruction, but this association was not seen until 24 to <60 months (ORs, 5.1 and 11.5, respectively). Conclusion: For patients undergoing ACL reconstruction, an interval >6 months between injury and surgery was associated with an increased prevalence of medial meniscal tears and medial compartment chondral lesions at the time of surgery. An interval >24 months between injury and surgery was associated with an increased prevalence of lateral compartment chondral lesions at the time of surgery.


Author(s):  
A. Korthaus ◽  
M. Krause ◽  
G. Pagenstert ◽  
M. Warncke ◽  
F. Brembach ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction An increased tibial slope is a risk factor for rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament. In addition, a tibial bone bruise or posterior lateral impression associated with slope changes also poses chronic ligamentous instability of the knee joint associated with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. In the majority of cases, the slope is measured in one plane X-ray in the lateral view. However, this does not sufficient represent the complex anatomy of the tibial plateau and especially for the posterolateral quadrant. Normal values from a “healthy” population are necessary to understand if stability of the knee joint is negatively affected by an increasing slope in the posterolateral area. Until now there are no data about the physiological slope in the posterolateral quadrant of the tibial plateau. Materials and methods In 116 MRI scans of patients without ligamentous lesions and 116 MRI scans with an ACL rupture, tibial slope was retrospectively determined using the method described by Hudek et al. Measurements were made in the postero-latero-lateral (PLL) and postero-latero-central (PLC) segments using the 10-segment classification. In both segments, the osseous as well as the cartilaginous slope was measured. Measurements were performed by two independent surgeons. Results In the group without ligamentous injury the mean bony PLL slope was 5.8° ± 4.8° and the cartilaginous PLL slope was 6.7° ± 4.8°. In the PLC segment the mean bony slope was 6.6° ± 5.0° and the cartilaginous slope was 9.4° ± 5.7°. In the cohort with ACL rupture, the bony and cartilaginous slope in both PLL and PCL were significantly higher (P < 0.001) than in the group without ACL injury (bony PLL 9.8° ± 4.8°, cartilage PLL 10.4° ± 4.7°, bony PLC 10.3° ± 4.8°, cartilage PLL 12.8° ± 4.3°). Measurements were performed independently by two experienced surgeons. There were good inter- (CI 87–98.7%) and good intraobserver (CI 85.8–99.6%) reliability. Conclusion The bony and the cartilaginous slope in the posterolateral quadrant of the tibial plateau are different but not independent. Patients with an anterior cruciate ligament injury have a significantly steeper slope in the posterolateral quadrant compared to a healthy group. Our data indicate that this anatomic feature might be a risk factor for a primary ACL injury which has not been described yet. Level of evidence III.


2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 545-553 ◽  
Author(s):  
David L. Bernholt ◽  
Nicholas N. DePhillipo ◽  
Matthew D. Crawford ◽  
Zachary S. Aman ◽  
W. Jeffrey Grantham ◽  
...  

Background: Bone bruising of the posterolateral tibial plateau and the lateral femoral condyle sulcus terminalis has a well-established association with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears. Impaction fractures of the femur and tibia may occur in these locations; however, there is a paucity of literature describing these fractures. Purpose: The primary objective was to quantify the incidence, size, and location of impaction fractures of the posterolateral tibial plateau and lateral femoral condyle in patients with primary ACL tears. The secondary objective was to investigate the association between impaction fractures and concomitant meniscal and ligamentous injuries. Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence 4. Methods: Patients with available magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans who were treated for primary ACL tear by a single surgeon were identified. MRI scans were reviewed with denotation of posterolateral tibial and femoral condylar contusions and displaced impaction fractures. Measurements of the lateral tibial plateau were taken in all patients with displaced lateral tibial plateau fractures and in a subset of control patients without tibial plateau fracture present to characterize the size and location of the bony lesion. Associations of impaction fractures with concomitant meniscal or ligamentous injuries were evaluated through use of chi-square testing. Results: There were 825 knees identified with available MRI scans. Lateral tibial plateau bone bruising was present in 634 knees (76.8%), and lateral femoral condyle bone bruising was present in 407 knees (49.3%). Posterolateral tibial plateau impaction fractures were present in 407 knees (49.3%), and lateral femoral condylar impaction fractures were present in 214 knees (25.9%). Patients with posterolateral tibial plateau impaction fractures were older than patients without these fractures (42.6 vs 32.7 years; P < .001), whereas patients with lateral femoral condylar impaction fractures were younger (23.8 vs 32.7 years; P < .001). There were 71 knees (8.6%) with a posterolateral tibial plateau impaction fracture with greater than 10% loss of lateral tibial plateau depth, and this group had an increased incidence of lateral meniscus posterior root tears (22.1% vs 12.0%; P = .02). Conclusion: Posterolateral tibial plateau impaction fractures occurred with a high incidence (49.3%) in patients with primary ACL tears and demonstrated an increased association with lateral meniscus posterior horn root tears as their size increased. Lateral femoral condylar impaction fractures occurred in 25.9% of patients with primary ACL tears and entailed an increased incidence of lateral meniscal tears and medial meniscal ramp lesions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (9) ◽  
pp. 2213-2220
Author(s):  
Lachlan M. Batty ◽  
Jerome Murgier ◽  
Julian A. Feller ◽  
Richard O’Sullivan ◽  
Kate E. Webster ◽  
...  

Background: Recent biomechanical studies have demonstrated that the Kaplan fibers (KFs) of the iliotibial band play a role in the control of anterolateral rotation of the knee. However, controversy exists regarding whether the KFs are injured in conjunction with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Purpose: To establish the prevalence of radiological injury to the KFs in the ACL-injured knee; to evaluate the effect of the time interval between injury and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on diagnosis of KF injury; and to assess for any association between KF injury and other qualitative radiological findings. Study Design: Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Preoperative MRI scans were reviewed for 161 patients with ACL injury. Specific diagnostic criteria were developed and applied to identify KF injury. Chi-square testing was performed to look for associations among KF injury, the time from injury to MRI, and associated radiological knee injuries. Results: Radiological evidence of KF injury was identified in 30 (18.6%) patients. The diagnosis of KF injury was higher in patients who had MRI scans performed within 90 days of injury as compared with ≥90 days after injury (23.7 vs 6.4%; P = .010). Patients with an MRI diagnosis of KF injury had significantly higher rates of lateral meniscal injury (40% vs 18%; P = .007), posteromedial tibial bone marrow edema (73% vs 44%; P = .003), and injury to the lateral collateral ligament (13% vs 3%; P = .019) or medial collateral ligament (23% vs 8%; P = .019). Conclusion: The prevalence of injury to the KF in patients with ACL injury as diagnosed by MRI was relatively low (18.6% of patients). However, the time interval from injury to MRI was relevant to diagnosis, with significantly higher rates of injury identification in patients with early (within 90 days) versus delayed (≥90 days) MRI. KF injury was associated with higher rates of injury to the lateral meniscal and collateral ligaments, as well as posteromedial tibial bone bruising.


2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (7) ◽  
pp. 1583-1590 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michella H. Hagmeijer ◽  
Mario Hevesi ◽  
Vishal S. Desai ◽  
Thomas L. Sanders ◽  
Christopher L. Camp ◽  
...  

Background: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is one of the most frequent orthopaedic injuries and reasons for time loss in sports and carries significant implications, including posttraumatic osteoarthritis (OA). Instability associated with ACL injury has been linked to the development of secondary meniscal tears (defined as tears that develop after the initial ACL injury). To date, no study has examined secondary meniscal tears after ACL injury and their effect on OA and arthroplasty risk. Purpose: To describe the rates and natural history of secondary meniscal tears after ACL injury and to determine the effect of meniscal tear treatment on the development of OA and conversion to total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: A geographic database of >500,000 patients was reviewed to identify patients with primary ACL injuries between January 1, 1990, and December 31, 2005. Information was collected with regard to ACL injury treatment, rates/characteristics of the secondary meniscal tears, and outcomes, including development of OA and conversion to TKA. Kaplan-Meier and adjusted multivariate survival analyses were performed to test for the effect of meniscal treatment on survivorship free of OA and TKA. Results: Of 1398 primary ACL injuries, the overall rate of secondary meniscal tears was 16%. Significantly lower rates of secondary meniscal tears were noted among patients undergoing acute ACL reconstruction within 6 months (7%) as compared with patients with delayed ACL reconstruction (33%, P < .01) and nonoperative ACL management (19%, P < .01). Of the 235 secondary meniscal tears identified (196 patients), 11.5% underwent repair, 73% partial meniscectomy, and 16% were treated nonoperatively. Tears were most often medial in location (77%) and complex in morphology (56% of medial tears, 54% of lateral tears). At the time of final follow-up, no patient undergoing repair of a secondary meniscal tear (0%) underwent TKA, as opposed to 10.9% undergoing meniscectomy and 6.1% receiving nonoperative treatment ( P = .28). Conclusion: Secondary meniscal tears after ACL injury are most common among patients undergoing delayed surgical or nonoperative treatment of their primary ACL injuries. Secondary tears often present as complex tears of the medial meniscus and result in high rates of partial meniscectomy.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miao He ◽  
Jie Li

Abstract Background Studies have shown a significant association between the radiographically measured lateral femoral condyle ratio (LFCR) and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. However, it is unclear whether the the LFCR measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is associated with risk of noncontact ACL injury. Objective 1 To investigate the effect of the LFCR on the risk of noncontact ACL injury by MRI. 2 To investigate the association of the LFCR measured by MRI with multiple bone morphological risk factors and evaluate the most sensitive risk predictors of noncontact ACL injury. Methods A total of 116 patients, including 58 subjects with noncontact ACL injury and 58 age-matched and sex-matched controls with only meniscus injury, were included in this retrospective case-control study. The LFCR, lateral tibial slope (LTS), lateral tibial height (LTH), medial tibial slope (MTS), and medial tibial depth (MTD) were measured on MRI. The differences in each index between the two groups were compared, and risk factors were screened by single-factor logistic regression analysis. Indicators with P values <0.1 were included in the logistic regression equation. The critical values and areas under the curve (AUCs) of independent risk factors were determined by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Finally, the diagnostic performance of each risk factor was evaluated by the Z-test. Results A total of 116 patients who met the inclusion criteria were included in the final analysis (58 cases in the noncontact ACL injury group and 58 cases in the control group). Patients with noncontact ACL injury had a higher femoral LFCR (63.5±2.7%) than patients with simple meniscus tear. Among all the risk factors for ACL injury, the AUC for the LFCR was the largest, at 0.81 (95% CI, 0.73-0.88), and when the critical value was 61.35%, the sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of ACL injury were 79% and 67%, respectively. Combined with the LTH (> 2.35 mm), the diagnostic performance was improved. The AUC was 0.85 (95% CI, 0.78-0.92), the sensitivity was 0.83, and the specificity was 0.76 Conclusion This study shows that an increased LFCR is related to an increased risk of noncontact ACL injury by MRI. The LFCR and LTH are the most sensitive risk factors for noncontact ACL injury and may help clinicians identify individuals prone to ACL injury, allowing prevention and intervention measures to be applied.


2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (9) ◽  
pp. 520-527 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guri Ranum Ekås ◽  
Clare L Ardern ◽  
Hege Grindem ◽  
Lars Engebretsen

ObjectiveTo investigate the risk of new meniscal tears after treatment for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, in children and adults with and without ACL reconstruction.DesignPrognosis systematic review (PROSPERO registration number CRD42016036788).MethodsWe searched Embase, Ovid Medline, Cochrane, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, PEDro and Google Scholar from inception to 3rd May 2018. Eligible articles included patients with ACL injury (diagnosis confirmed by MRI and/or diagnostic arthroscopy), reported the number of meniscal tears at the time of ACL injury diagnosis/start of treatment and reported the number of new meniscal tears that subsequently occurred. Articles with fewer than 20 patients at follow-up, and articles limited to ACL revision surgery or multi-ligament knee injuries were excluded. Two independent reviewers screened articles, assessed eligibility, assessed risk of bias and extracted data. We judged the certainty of evidence using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment Development and Evaluation (GRADE) working group methodology.ResultsOf 75 studies included in the systematic review, 54 studies with 9624 patients and 501 new meniscal tears were appropriate for quantitative analysis. Heterogeneity precluded data pooling. The risk of new meniscal tears was 0%–21% when follow-up was <2 years, 0%–29% when follow-up was 2 to 5 years, 5%–52% when follow-up was 5 to 10 years and 4%–31% when follow-up was longer than 10 years. The proportion of studies with high risk of selection, misclassification and detection bias was 84%, 69% and 68%, respectively. Certainty of evidence was very low.ConclusionNew meniscal tears occurred in 0%–52% of patients between 4 months and 20 years (mean 4.9±4.4 years) following treatment for ACL injury. The certainty of evidence was too low to guide surgical treatment decisions. This review cannot conclude that the incidence of new meniscal tears is lower if ACL injury is treated with surgery compared with treatment with rehabilitation only.


2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 289-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shyam Sundar ◽  
Sarthak Patnaik ◽  
Bobur Ubaydullaev ◽  
Vinodh Kolandavelu ◽  
David Rajan

Purpose To compare anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)–injured and ACL-intact patients as well as males and females in terms of tibial plateau slopes to determine their association with ACL injury. Methods Magnetic resonance images (MRI) of the knee of 310 male and 179 female skeletally mature Indian patients (mean age, 40 years) with (n=170+29) or without (n=140+150) ACL injury were reviewed. Their medial and lateral tibial plateau slopes (MTPS and LTPS), medial tibial plateau depth (MTPD), and lateral tibial plateau height (LTPH) were measured using MRI. Results The ACL-injured and ACL-intact groups were comparable in terms of MTPS (6.72° vs. 6.73°, p=0.07), LTPS (5.68° vs. 5.70°, p=0.09), MTD (1.74 vs. 1.73 mm, p=0.356), and LTH (2.21 vs. 2.22 mm, p=0.393). Males and females were also comparable in terms of MTPS and LTPS in both ACL-injured and ACL-intact groups. Conclusion ACL-injured and ACL-intact patients as well as males and females were comparable in terms of the tibial plateau slope parameters.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document