Arthroscopic cartilage indentation and cartilage lesions of anterior cruciate ligament-deficient knees.
BACKGROUND
The anterior cruciate ligament-deficient knee is prone to osteoarthritis and meniscus lesions. Very little, however, is known about the biomechanical properties of articular cartilage in anterior cruciate ligament-deficient knees.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate biomechanical and macroscopical cartilage changes in the knee joint with respect to the time after anterior cruciate ligament rupture.


OBJECTIVE
Chronic anterior cruciate ligament deficiency induces cartilage softening.


METHODS
Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3.


METHODS
Cartilage stiffness of 50 patients undergoing anterior cruciate ligament reconstructive surgery because of symptomatic knee instability after chronic anterior cruciate ligament rupture was measured with an arthroscopic indenter device, and the number and size of cartilage lesions were evaluated.


RESULTS
The cartilage stiffness did not correlate with time from trauma to surgery (r = 0.002, P = .99), but the number of cartilage lesions in the knee increased when the time from the initial trauma to reconstructive surgery increased (r = 0.356, P = .011). Indentation values measured on healthy-looking cartilage on damaged joint surfaces were lower than the values measured on healthy joint surfaces (P < .01 on lateral femoral condyle and on tibial plateaus).


CONCLUSIONS
The number of cartilage lesions increases with increased time after initial trauma. The arthroscopic indenter device is able to detect cartilage softening as the early mechanical sign of degradation not yet visible to the eye.
Vasara
Anna I
AI
Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland. anna.vasara@fimnet.fi
Jurvelin
Jukka S
JS
Peterson
Lars
L
Kiviranta
Ilkka
I
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016118:Anterior Cruciate Ligament / Q000473:pathology*; D000070598:Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries; D001182:Arthroscopy; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000293:injuries* / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007593:Joint Instability; D007718:Knee Injuries / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures; D012421:Rupture; D013997:Time Factors