Does Tibial Plateau Slope and Depth Influence ACL Strain In Vivo?

BACKGROUND: The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is loaded under tension when the tibia translates anteriorly relative to the femur. The shape of the articular surfaces of the tibiofemoral joint may influence the amount of anterior tibial translation under compressive loading. Thus, a steep lateral tibial plateau and a shallow medial plateau are thought to be risk factors for ACL injury. PURPOSE/HYPOTHESIS: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether tibial plateau slope and depth influence peak ACL strain during a single-leg jump. We hypothesized that there would be a significant correlation between tibial plateau slope and depth with ACL strain. STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive laboratory study. METHODS: A total of 17 healthy participants (8 male, 9 female) were assessed using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and high-speed biplanar radiography to obtain peak ACL strain during a single-leg jump. Two orthopaedic surgeons used the sagittal plane MRI scans to measure the medial and lateral tibial plateau slopes and the medial tibial plateau depth. The intraclass correlation coefficient was used to assess measurement reliability, and the Spearman rank correlation was used to evaluate the relationship between measurements of tibial morphology and peak ACL strain during the single-leg jump. RESULTS: The overall range of intraclass correlation coefficients for intra- and interrater reliability of the medial and lateral tibial plateau slopes and medial plateau depth was 0.59 to 0.97. No significant correlations were found between peak ACL strain and any of the slope or depth measurements. CONCLUSION: In this cohort of healthy participants, correlations between any of the tibial plateau measurements with peak ACL strain during a single-leg jump were not detected. These findings are consistent with prior work, suggesting that tibial plateau slope and depth may not be linked to risk for ACL rupture. However, it is possible that tibial plateau morphology may interact with other factors to increase ACL injury risk or that individuals with extreme slope angles may produce differing results. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This study enhances the knowledge of the loading mechanisms for the ACL and thus improves the understanding of risk factors for ACL injury.

Duke Scholars

Author Annunziato Amendola Orthopaedic Surgery

Author Louis Edwin DeFrate Orthopaedic Surgery

Author Andrzej Stanislaw Kosinski Biostatistics & Bioinformatics, Division of Biostatistics

Author Charles Edward Spritzer Radiology, Musculoskeletal Imaging

Author Jocelyn Ross Wittstein Orthopaedic Surgery