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Anterior cruciate ligament deficiency alters the in vivo motion of the tibiofemoral cartilage contact points in both the anteroposterior and mediolateral directions.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Li, G; Moses, JM; Papannagari, R; Pathare, NP; DeFrate, LE; Gill, TJ
Published in: J Bone Joint Surg Am
August 2006

BACKGROUND: Quantifying the effects of anterior cruciate ligament deficiency on joint biomechanics is critical in order to better understand the mechanisms of joint degeneration in anterior cruciate ligament-deficient knees and to improve the surgical treatment of anterior cruciate ligament injuries. We investigated the changes in position of the in vivo tibiofemoral articular cartilage contact points in anterior cruciate ligament-deficient and intact contralateral knees with use of a newly developed dual orthogonal fluoroscopic and magnetic resonance imaging technique. METHODS: Nine patients with an anterior cruciate ligament rupture in one knee and a normal contralateral knee were recruited. Magnetic resonance images were acquired for both the intact and anterior cruciate ligament-deficient knees to construct computer knee models of the surfaces of the bone and cartilage. Each patient performed a single-leg weight-bearing lunge as images were recorded with use of a dual fluoroscopic system at full extension and at 15 degrees , 30 degrees , 60 degrees , and 90 degrees of flexion. The in vivo knee position at each flexion angle was then reproduced with use of the knee models and fluoroscopic images. The contact points were defined as the centroids of the areas of intersection of the tibial and femoral articular cartilage surfaces. RESULTS: The contact points moved not only in the anteroposterior direction but also in the mediolateral direction in both the anterior cruciate ligament-deficient and intact knees. In the anteroposterior direction, the contact points in the medial compartment of the tibia were more posterior in the anterior cruciate ligament-deficient knees than in the intact knees at full extension and 15 degrees of flexion (p < 0.05). No significant differences were observed with regard to the anteroposterior motion of the contact points in the lateral compartment of the tibia. In the mediolateral direction, there was a significant lateral shift of the contact points in the medial compartment of the tibia toward the medial tibial spine between full extension and 60 degrees of flexion (p < 0.05). The contact points in the lateral compartment of the tibia shifted laterally, away from the lateral tibial spine, at 15 degrees and 30 degrees of flexion (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In the presence of anterior cruciate ligament injury, the contact points shift both posteriorly and laterally on the surface of the tibial plateau. In the medial compartment, the contact points shift toward the medial tibial spine, a region where degeneration is observed in patients with chronic anterior cruciate ligament injuries.

Duke Scholars

Published In

J Bone Joint Surg Am

DOI

ISSN

0021-9355

Publication Date

August 2006

Volume

88

Issue

8

Start / End Page

1826 / 1834

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Tibia
  • Range of Motion, Articular
  • Orthopedics
  • Male
  • Humans
  • Femur Head
  • Female
  • Cartilage, Articular
  • Biomechanical Phenomena
  • Anterior Cruciate Ligament
 

Citation

APA
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MLA
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Li, G., Moses, J. M., Papannagari, R., Pathare, N. P., DeFrate, L. E., & Gill, T. J. (2006). Anterior cruciate ligament deficiency alters the in vivo motion of the tibiofemoral cartilage contact points in both the anteroposterior and mediolateral directions. J Bone Joint Surg Am, 88(8), 1826–1834. https://doi.org/10.2106/JBJS.E.00539
Li, Guoan, Jeremy M. Moses, Ramprasad Papannagari, Neil P. Pathare, Louis E. DeFrate, and Thomas J. Gill. “Anterior cruciate ligament deficiency alters the in vivo motion of the tibiofemoral cartilage contact points in both the anteroposterior and mediolateral directions.J Bone Joint Surg Am 88, no. 8 (August 2006): 1826–34. https://doi.org/10.2106/JBJS.E.00539.
Li G, Moses JM, Papannagari R, Pathare NP, DeFrate LE, Gill TJ. Anterior cruciate ligament deficiency alters the in vivo motion of the tibiofemoral cartilage contact points in both the anteroposterior and mediolateral directions. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2006 Aug;88(8):1826–34.
Li, Guoan, et al. “Anterior cruciate ligament deficiency alters the in vivo motion of the tibiofemoral cartilage contact points in both the anteroposterior and mediolateral directions.J Bone Joint Surg Am, vol. 88, no. 8, Aug. 2006, pp. 1826–34. Pubmed, doi:10.2106/JBJS.E.00539.
Li G, Moses JM, Papannagari R, Pathare NP, DeFrate LE, Gill TJ. Anterior cruciate ligament deficiency alters the in vivo motion of the tibiofemoral cartilage contact points in both the anteroposterior and mediolateral directions. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2006 Aug;88(8):1826–1834.
Journal cover image

Published In

J Bone Joint Surg Am

DOI

ISSN

0021-9355

Publication Date

August 2006

Volume

88

Issue

8

Start / End Page

1826 / 1834

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Tibia
  • Range of Motion, Articular
  • Orthopedics
  • Male
  • Humans
  • Femur Head
  • Female
  • Cartilage, Articular
  • Biomechanical Phenomena
  • Anterior Cruciate Ligament