Purpose
To evaluate the association of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries with the
intercondylar notch angle and notch width in male patients. The secondary purpose
was to evaluate the association of these injuries with other novel morphologic parameters.
Methods
Male patients undergoing primary ACL reconstruction between 2010 and 2013 for injury
through noncontact mechanisms with preoperative magnetic resonance imaging were compared
with an age-matched control group of male patients (patients who underwent knee operations
other than ACL reconstruction) regarding the following magnetic resonance imaging–assessed
parameters: intercondylar notch angle, width, and depth; condylar width; medial/lateral
condylar widths; medial/lateral posterior tibial plateau slopes; anterior sagittal
tibial slope (corresponding to the level of the tibial ACL footprint); coronal tibial
slope; and angle between the Blumensaat line and anterior tibial slope.
Results
In both the coronal and axial planes, patients with ACL injury had a significantly
lower intercondylar notch angle (P < .001 and P = .008, respectively) than the control group, but there were no significant between-group
differences for intercondylar notch width (P = .9 and P = .97, respectively). In the sagittal plane, patients with ACL injury had significantly
higher medial (P < .001) and lateral (P = .02) posterior tibial slopes, a significantly lower anterior tibial slope (P = .01), and a significantly higher angle between the Blumensaat line and anterior
tibial slope (P = .02) than the control group.
Conclusions
Narrowing of the intercondylar notch may be associated with ACL injury in male patients.
However, the intercondylar notch angle may be a better parameter to evaluate notch
narrowing and its potential association with ACL injuries compared with the notch
width. The association between the angle formed by the Blumensaat line and anterior
tibial slope and ACL injuries in male patients needs more investigation. This study
further suggests that increased posterior tibial slope may be associated with ACL
injury in male patients.
Level of Evidence
Level III, case-control study.
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: June 10, 2015
Accepted:
April 10,
2015
Received:
October 14,
2014
Footnotes
The authors report that they have no conflicts of interest in the authorship and publication of this article.
Identification
Copyright
© 2015 Arthroscopy Association of North America. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
