title: A decreased volume of the medial tibial spine is associated with an increased risk of suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury for males but not females.
abstract: Measurements of tibial plateau subchondral bone and articular cartilage slope have been associated with the risk of suffering anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Such single-plane measures of the tibial plateau may not sufficiently characterize its complex, three-dimensional geometry and how it relates to knee injury. Further, the tibial spines have not been studied in association with the risk of suffering a non-contact ACL injury. We questioned whether the geometries of the tibial spines are associated with non-contact ACL injury risk, and if this relationship is different for males and females. Bilateral MRI scans were acquired on 88 ACL-injured subjects and 88 control subjects matched for sex, age and sports team. Medial and lateral tibial spine geometries were characterized with measurements of length, width, height, volume and anteroposterior location. Analyses of females revealed no associations between tibial spine geometry and risk of ACL injury. Analyses of males revealed that an increased medial tibial spine volume was associated with a decreased risk of ACL injury (OR = 0.667 per 100 mm(3) increase). Smaller medial spines could provide less resistance to internal rotation and medial translation of the tibia relative to the femur, subsequently increasing ACL strains and risk of ACL injury.
authors: Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont.
authors: Daniel R
authors: DR
authors: Sturnick
authors: Erin C
authors: EC
authors: Argentieri
authors: Pamela M
authors: PM
authors: Vacek
authors: Michael J
authors: MJ
authors: DeSarno
authors: Mack G
authors: MG
authors: Gardner-Morse
authors: Timothy W
authors: TW
authors: Tourville
authors: James R
authors: JR
authors: Slauterbeck
authors: Robert J
authors: RJ
authors: Johnson
authors: Sandra J
authors: SJ
authors: Shultz
authors: Bruce D
authors: BD
authors: Beynnon
mesh_terms: D000070598:Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000503:physiopathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005269:Femur / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D015588:Observer Variation; D012044:Regression Analysis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012307:Risk Factors; D012399:Rotation; D012737:Sex Factors; D013977:Tibia / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000293:injuries* / Q000503:physiopathology*
keywords: ACL injury; risk factors; tibial anatomy; tibial plateau geometry