MRI Sagittal Measurements Of The ACL Tibial Insertion Sites And The Relationships Between Their Sizes And The Patients' Physical Characteristics

Background:It is necessary to create a bone tunnel at the proper position of the ligaments during anatomic reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament(ACL).Preoperative prediction of the ACL size may be useful in preoperative and intraoperative determination of the diameter of the bone tunnel.In the sagittal image of the magnetic resonance imaging(MRI),it is often observed that there is a depressed area at the tibial insertion of the ACL,known as the ACL fovea.The purpose of this study was to measure the anteroposterior diameter of the ACL fovea in the sagittal image of MRI and its relationship with the patient's physical characteristics.Methods:The study included 95 patients(95 knees),51 men and 44 women,with a mean age of 27.The anteroposterior diameter of the ACL was measured on the MRI sagittal image,and the relationship between the height,weight and body mass index(BMI)of the patient was analyzed.Results:The ACL average of male patients was 15.4mm,while female patients were 14.3mm,similar to previous reports.The anteroposteriordiameter of the ACL was positively correlated with the patient's height,weight and BMI.There were 12(12.6%)of the number of knees that the ACL fovea<13mm,and many of them were female.Conclusion:This study confirmed that the size of the ACL can be predicted by measuring the anteroposterior diameter of ACL fovea in MRI.The patient's physical characteristics was related to the anteroposterior diameter of the ACL fovea.Especially in women,preoperative estimation of ACL size is more important.