Prevalence of anterolateral ligament injuries and lateral meniscus tear on MR imaging in patients with both-bundle tear vs. selective bundle incomplete tear of the anterior cruciate ligament

Ji Na Kim; Hee Jin Park; Myung Sub Kim; So Yeon Won; Minchul Kim; Jai Hyung Park; Eugene Kim; Ji Yeon Park

doi:10.1007/s00330-021-08472-x

Prevalence of anterolateral ligament injuries and lateral meniscus tear on MR imaging in patients with both-bundle tear vs. selective bundle incomplete tear of the anterior cruciate ligament

Eur Radiol. 2022 Jun;32(6):3954-3962. doi: 10.1007/s00330-021-08472-x. Epub 2022 Jan 12.

Authors

Ji Na Kim¹, Hee Jin Park², Myung Sub Kim¹, So Yeon Won¹, Minchul Kim¹, Jai Hyung Park³, Eugene Kim³, Ji Yeon Park⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Radiology, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, #108 Pyung-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 03181, Republic of Korea.
² Department of Radiology, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, #108 Pyung-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 03181, Republic of Korea. parkhiji@gmail.com.
³ Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
⁴ Department of Radiology, Inje University Ilsan Paik Hospital, Goyang, Gyeonggido, Republic of Korea.

PMID: 35020013
DOI: 10.1007/s00330-021-08472-x

Abstract

Objectives: We investigated the prevalence of anterolateral ligament (ALL) injury and lateral meniscus (LM) tear in cases with both-bundle tear and selective bundle incomplete tear of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).

Methods: A total of 174 cases of magnetic resonance (MR) images that had an ACL tear and underwent arthroscopic ACL reconstruction were retrospectively reviewed. ACL injury was classified into both bundle, anteromedial bundle, and posterolateral bundle (PL) on arthroscopic finding. The ALL was divided into three portions: femoral, meniscal, and tibial. ALL injury was scored into three groups: grade 0 is intact; grade 1 is stranding and edema surrounds the expected location of the ALL; grade 2 is clear discontinuity of the ALL consistent with rupture. Traumatic LM tear was also assessed on MR images.

Results: The total prevalence of ALL injury was 36.2% (reader 1) and 42.0% (reader 2). ALL injury was statistically related to the selective bundle tear (p = 0.002 and 0.004, readers 1 and 2). PL bundle tear was significantly correlated with the ALL injury (p value < 0.001, readers 1 and 2, both). The location and grade of ALL injury were not significantly correlated with the type of ACL injury. LM tear was not significantly related to the types of ACL tear (p = 0.208 and 0.907, readers 1 and 2) and ALL injury (p value = 0.096 and 0.383, readers 1 and 2).

Conclusions: ALL injury was significantly related to the PL bundle tear of the ACL. LM tear was not significantly correlated with the types of ACL injury and ALL injury.

Key points: • Anterolateral ligament (ALL) injury was significantly related to the posterolateral bundle (PL) tear of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). • Lateral meniscus (LM) tear was not significantly correlated with the types of ACL injury and ALL injury. • Clinicians and radiologists should be aware of these relationships and scrutinize ALL injury in cases with PL bundle tears, even with an incomplete ACL injury.

Keywords: Anterior cruciate ligament; Anterolateral ligament; Knee; Lateral meniscus; Magnetic resonance imaging.

MeSH terms

Anterior Cruciate Ligament / diagnostic imaging
Anterior Cruciate Ligament / surgery
Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries* / diagnostic imaging
Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries* / surgery
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging / methods
Menisci, Tibial / pathology
Muscular Diseases*
Prevalence
Retrospective Studies
Rupture
Tibial Meniscus Injuries* / diagnostic imaging
Tibial Meniscus Injuries* / epidemiology