Clinical Implications of Bone Bruise Patterns Accompanying Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tears

2021 ◽  
pp. 194173812110295
Author(s):  
Patrick Ward ◽  
Peter Chang ◽  
Logan Radtke ◽  
Robert H. Brophy

Background: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears are common injuries; they are often associated with concomitant injuries to other structures in the knee, including bone bruises. While there is limited evidence that bone bruises are associated with slightly worse clinical outcomes, the implications of bone bruises for the articular cartilage and the risk of developing osteoarthritis (OA) in the knee are less clear. Recent studies suggest that the bone bruise pattern may be helpful in predicting the presence of meniscal ramp lesions. Evidence Acquisition: A literature review was performed in EMBASE using the keyword search phrase (acl OR (anterior AND cruciate AND ligament)) AND ((bone AND bruise) OR (bone AND contusion) OR (bone AND marrow AND edema) OR (bone AND marrow AND lesion) OR (subchondral AND edema)). Study Design: Clinical review. Level of Evidence: Level 4. Results: The literature search returned 93 articles of which 25 were ultimately included in this review. Most studies identified a high prevalence of bone bruises in the setting of acute ACL injury. Individual studies have found relationships between bone bruise volume and functional outcomes; however, these results were not supported by systematic review. Similarly, the literature has contradictory findings on the relationship between bone bruises and the progression of OA after ACL reconstruction. Investigations into concomitant injury found anterolateral ligament and meniscal ramp lesions to be associated with bone bruise presence on magnetic resonance imaging. Conclusion: Despite the ample literature identifying the prevalence of bone bruises in association with ACL injury, there is little evidence to correlate bone bruises to functional outcomes or progression of OA. Bone bruises may best be used as a marker for concomitant injury such as medial meniscal ramp lesions that are not always well visualized on magnetic resonance imaging. Further research is required to establish the longitudinal effects of bone bruises on ACL tear recovery. Strength of Recommendation Taxonomy: 2.

1998 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 409-414 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darren L. Johnson ◽  
William P. Urban ◽  
David N. M. Caborn ◽  
William J. Vanarthos ◽  
Cathy S. Carlson

Occult osteochondral lesions (bone bruises) have been documented on magnetic resonance images in more than 80% of patients sustaining acute anterior cruciate ligament ruptures. Despite the high prevalence of these lesions, little is known about the histologic changes in the adjacent articular cartilage. Ten patients with acute anterior cruciate ligament ruptures who had a preoperatively documented (by magnetic resonance imaging) geographic bone bruise at the sulcus terminalis on the lateral femoral condyle underwent a 3-mm diameter trephine biopsy of the articular cartilage and subchondral bone overlying the bone bruise at the time of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Biopsy samples of the articular cartilage and subchondral bone were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and toluidine blue. All patients had significant arthroscopic and histologic articular cartilage irregularity in the area overlying the bone bruise. Arthroscopic findings of the articular cartilage included softening (dimpling), fissuring, or overt chondral fracture. Histologic examination revealed degeneration of the chondrocytes and loss of toluidine blue staining in the articular cartilage (loss of proteoglycan). There was necrosis of osteocytes in the subchondral bone, and empty lacuna were visible. This study defines the exact histologic changes of the articular cartilage overlying a geographic bone bruise secondary to an acute anterior cruciate ligament tear. Our findings suggest that a geographic bone bruise found on magnetic resonance imaging indicates substantial damage to normal articular cartilage homeostasis.


2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (13) ◽  
pp. 3181-3186
Author(s):  
Vittorio Bordoni ◽  
Giorgio di Laura Frattura ◽  
Davide Previtali ◽  
Simone Tamborini ◽  
Christian Candrian ◽  
...  

Background: Bone bruise characteristics after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury have been correlated with the level of joint derangement in adults. However, the literature lacks information about younger patients, whose higher ligamentous laxity may lead to different lesion patterns. Purpose: To investigate the prevalence, size, location, and role of bone bruise associated with ACL rupture in the pediatric population. Study Design: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Knee magnetic resonance imaging scans (MRIs) of patients aged 8 to 16 years with ACL tears from 2010 to 2018 were selected from the institution database. Inclusion criteria were open or partially open physes, less than 90 days between trauma and MRI, and no history of injury or surgery. Presence, localization, and size of bone bruise were analyzed by 2 blinded researchers and scored with the Whole-Organ Magnetic Resonance Imaging Score (WORMS) bone bruise subscale. Ligamentous, cartilaginous, meniscal, and other lesions were documented. Results: Of the 78 pediatric patients selected from the database, 54 (69%) had bone bruise. The mean area of bone bruise was larger in males than in females (femur, 3.8 ± 2.8 vs 2.2 ± 1.4 cm2, respectively, P = .006; tibia, 2.6 ± 1.6 vs 1.5 ± 0.8 cm2, respectively, P = .007). The subregions most affected by bone bruise were the lateral posterior tibia and the lateral central femur (in 83% and 80% of the knees affected, respectively). A low correlation was found between age and bone bruise area (biggest areas r = 0.30, P = .03, and sum of areas r = 0.27, P = .04), but no correlation was found between age and WORMS (femur, r = −0.03, P = .85; tibia, r = −0.04, P = .76). The injuries most associated with bone bruise were 23 meniscal lesions (43%), 10 lesions of other ligaments (19.0%), 2 cartilage lesions (3.7%), and 2 patellar fractures (3.7%). Conclusion: The prevalence of bone bruises in pediatric patients with ACL tears is high, although it seems slightly lower than the prevalence documented in adults but with similar localization. The area and the distribution pattern of bone bruises are similar among different ages. The pediatric patients had a lower presence of cartilage and meniscal lesions compared with that reported in adults, which suggests a different effect of this trauma on the knee of pediatric patients.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Neuman ◽  
Staffan Larsson ◽  
L Stefan Lohmander ◽  
André Struglics

Abstract Objective. To investigate if cartilage related biomarkers in synovial fluid are associated with knee cartilage status 20 years after an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Methods. We studied 25 patients with a complete ACL rupture without subsequent ACL reconstruction or radiographic knee OA. All had a delayed gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of cartilage (dGEMRIC) 20 years after the ACL injury, using the T1 transverse relaxation time in the presence of gadolinium (T1Gd) which estimates the concentration of glycosaminoglycans in hyaline cartilage. Synovial fluid samples were aspirated acutely (between 0 and 18 days) and during 1 to 5 follow up visits between 0.5 and 7.5 years after injury. We quantified synovial fluid concentrations of aggrecan (epitopes 1-F21 and ARGS), cartilage oligomeric matrix protein, matrix metalloproteinase-3 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 by immunoassays, and sulfated glycosaminoglycans by Alcian blue precipitation. Results. Linear regression analyses (adjusted for age, sex, body mass index and time between injury and sampling) showed that acute higher synovial fluid 1-F21-aggrecan concentrations were associated with shorter T1Gd values 20 years after injury, i.e. inferior cartilage quality (standardized effects between -0.67 and -1.0). No other statistically significant association was found between molecular biomarkers and T1Gd values. Conclusion. Higher acute synovial fluid 1-F21-aggrecan concentrations in ACL injured patients, who managed to cope without ACL reconstruction and were without radiographic knee OA, were associated with worse knee cartilage quality assessed by dGEMRIC 20 years after injury.


Cartilage ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Lattermann ◽  
Cale A. Jacobs ◽  
Emily K. Reinke ◽  
Erica A. Scaramuzza ◽  
Laura J. Huston ◽  
...  

Objective To determine (1) if bone bruise characteristics seen on magnetic resonance imaging are associated with patient-reported outcomes prior to and following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction and (2) if the combined presence of bone bruises with articular cartilage pathology results in inferior 2- or 6-year outcomes. Design Bone bruise volume and severity were measured on 81 patients’ preoperative magnetic resonance imaging in the medial and lateral femoral condyle (MFC, LFC) and medial and lateral tibial plateau (MTP, LTP) using the Costa-Paz classification and a modified version of Roemer and Bohndorf’s technique. The relationships between bone bruise volume and severity with Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) and International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) scores were assessed, and pre- and postoperative KOOS and IKDC scores were compared between those with bone bruises either with or without combined local articular cartilage pathology. Results All 81 patients had a bone bruise in at least 1 region and 70 (86%) had bone bruises in ≥2 regions. LTP bruises were the most common (76/81, 94%), followed by the LFC (66, 81%), MTP (46, 57%), and MFC (20, 25%). Neither bone bruise volume nor severity was associated with inferior postoperative outcomes. The subset of 17 patients with bone bruises and combined articular cartilage pathology were 3.4 times more likely to be symptomatic at 6-year follow-up than those without articular cartilage pathology ( P = 0.04). Conclusions The volume and severity of preoperative bone bruises alone were not associated with 2- or 6-year outcomes; however, bone bruises combined with local articular cartilage pathology appear to be more symptomatic after ACL reconstruction.


2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (10) ◽  
pp. 2233-2237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas N. DePhillipo ◽  
Mark E. Cinque ◽  
Jorge Chahla ◽  
Andrew G. Geeslin ◽  
Lars Engebretsen ◽  
...  

Background: Meniscal ramp lesions have been reported to be present in 9% to 17% of patients undergoing anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Detection at the time of arthroscopy can be accomplished based on clinical suspicion and careful evaluation. Preoperative assessment via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been reported to have a low sensitivity in identifying meniscal ramp lesions. Purpose: To investigate the incidence of meniscal ramp lesions in patients with ACL tears and the sensitivity of preoperative MRI for the detection of ramp lesions. Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: All patients who underwent ACL reconstruction by a single surgeon between 2010 and 2016 were included in this study, and patients with medial meniscal ramp lesions found at the time of arthroscopy were identified. The sensitivity of MRI compared with the gold standard of arthroscopic evaluation was determined by review of the preoperative MRI musculoskeletal radiologist report, mimicking the clinical scenario. The incidence was calculated based on arthroscopic findings, and the potential secondary signs of meniscal ramp tears were evaluated on MRI. Results: In a consecutive series of 301 ACL reconstructions, 50 patients (33 male, 17 female) with a mean age of 29.6 years (range, 14-61 years) were diagnosed with a medial meniscal ramp lesion at arthroscopic evaluation (16.6% incidence). The sensitivity of MRI for ramp lesions was 48% based on the preoperative MRI report. A secondary finding of a posteromedial tibial bone bruise was identified on preoperative MRI in 36 of the 50 patients with ramp lesions in a retrospective MRI review by 2 orthopaedic surgeons. Conclusion: Medial meniscal ramp lesions were present in approximately 17% of 301 patients undergoing ACL reconstruction, and less than one-half were diagnosed on the preoperative MRI. A posteromedial tibial bone bruise was found to be a secondary sign of a ramp lesion in 72% of patients. Increased awareness of this potentially combined injury pattern is necessary, and careful intraoperative evaluation is required to identify all meniscal ramp tears.


2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 218-23
Author(s):  
Ashfaq Ahmed ◽  
Muhammad A. Razzaque ◽  
Muhammad Kaleem ◽  
Atiq U. Zaman ◽  
Rizwan Akram ◽  
...  

Background: The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) stabilizes the joint during hyperextension and prevents anterior translation over femur. The objective of this study was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in detecting ACL injury by taking arthroscopy as gold standard in patients with traumatic knee injury.Methods: Patients fulfilling the study criteria were treated with clinical examination, MRI and then arthroscopy at the Department of Orthopedics and Spine in the Ghurki Trust Teaching Hospital, Lahore. The accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of MRI in diagnosing  the anterior cruciate ligament injury were calculated based on arthroscopic findings. All the data were analyzed using SPSS 17.0 version.Results: A total 185 patients were included. 91.1% were males and 8.9% were females with Mean age of 28.25±0.433. The accuracy of MRI in diagnosing the anterior cruciate ligament was 91.89%, with sensitivity of 93.33%, specificity of 85.71%, positive predictive value of 96.55% and the negative predictive value  of 75%.Conclusion: MRI is accurate and non-invasive modality for the assessment of ligamentous injuries. It can be used as a first line investigation to patients with suspicion of ACL injury.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Neuman ◽  
Staffan Larsson ◽  
L Stefan Lohmander ◽  
André Struglics

Abstract Background. To investigate if cartilage related biomarkers in synovial fluid are associated with knee cartilage status 20 years after an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.Methods. We studied 25 patients with a complete ACL rupture without subsequent ACL reconstruction or radiographic knee OA. All had a delayed gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of cartilage (dGEMRIC) 20 years after the ACL injury, using the T1 transverse relaxation time in the presence of gadolinium (T1Gd) which estimates the concentration of glycosaminoglycans in hyaline cartilage. Synovial fluid samples were aspirated acutely (between 0 and 18 days) and during 1 to 5 follow up visits between 0.5 and 7.5 years after injury. We quantified synovial fluid concentrations of aggrecan (epitopes 1-F21 and ARGS), cartilage oligomeric matrix protein, matrix metalloproteinase-3 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 by immunoassays, and sulfated glycosaminoglycans by Alcian blue precipitation. Western blot was used for qualitative analyses of aggrecan fragments in synovial fluid and cartilage samples.Results. Western blot indicated that the 1-F21 epitope was located within the chondroitin sulfate 2 region of aggrecan. Linear regression analyses (adjusted for age, sex, body mass index and time between injury and sampling) showed that acute higher synovial fluid 1-F21-aggrecan concentrations were associated with shorter T1Gd values 20 years after injury, i.e. inferior cartilage quality (standardized effects between -0.67 and -1.0). No other statistically significant association was found between molecular biomarkers and T1Gd values. Conclusion. Higher acute synovial fluid 1-F21-aggrecan concentrations in ACL injured patients, who managed to cope without ACL reconstruction and were without radiographic knee OA, were associated with inferior knee cartilage quality assessed by dGEMRIC 20 years after injury.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Neuman ◽  
Staffan Larsson ◽  
L Stefan Lohmander ◽  
André Struglics

Abstract Background. To investigate if cartilage related biomarkers in synovial fluid are associated with knee cartilage status 20 years after an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.Methods. We studied 25 patients with a complete ACL rupture without subsequent ACL reconstruction or radiographic knee OA. All had a delayed gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of cartilage (dGEMRIC) 20 years after the ACL injury, using the T1 transverse relaxation time in the presence of gadolinium (T1Gd) which estimates the concentration of glycosaminoglycans in hyaline cartilage. Synovial fluid samples were aspirated acutely (between 0 and 18 days) and during 1 to 5 follow up visits between 0.5 and 7.5 years after injury. We quantified synovial fluid concentrations of aggrecan (epitopes 1-F21 and ARGS), cartilage oligomeric matrix protein, matrix metalloproteinase-3 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 by immunoassays, and sulfated glycosaminoglycans by Alcian blue precipitation. Western blot was used for qualitative analyses of aggrecan fragments in synovial fluid and cartilage samples.Results. Western blot indicated that the 1-F21 epitope was located within the chondroitin sulfate 2 region of aggrecan. Linear regression analyses (adjusted for age, sex, body mass index and time between injury and sampling) showed that acute higher synovial fluid 1-F21-aggrecan concentrations were associated with shorter T1Gd values 20 years after injury, i.e. inferior cartilage quality (standardized effects between -0.67 and -1.0). No other statistically significant association was found between molecular biomarkers and T1Gd values. Conclusion. Higher acute synovial fluid 1-F21-aggrecan concentrations in ACL injured patients, who managed to cope without ACL reconstruction and were without radiographic knee OA, were associated with inferior knee cartilage quality assessed by dGEMRIC 20 years after injury.


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