Cartilage morphology at 2-3 years following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with or without concomitant meniscal pathology.
OBJECTIVE
To examine differences in cartilage morphology between young adults 2-3 years post-anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR), with or without meniscal pathology, and control participants.


METHODS
Knee MRI was performed on 130 participants aged 18-40 years (62 with isolated ACLR, 38 with combined ACLR and meniscal pathology, and 30 healthy controls). Cartilage defects, cartilage volume and bone marrow lesions (BMLs) were assessed from MRI using validated methods.


RESULTS
Cartilage defects were more prevalent in the isolated ACLR (69 %) and combined group (84 %) than in controls (10 %, P < 0.001). Furthermore, the combined group showed higher prevalence of cartilage defects on medial femoral condyle (OR 4.7, 95 % CI 1.3-16.6) and patella (OR 7.8, 95 % CI 1.5-40.7) than the isolated ACLR group. Cartilage volume was lower in both ACLR groups compared with controls (medial tibia, lateral tibia and patella, P < 0.05), whilst prevalence of BMLs was higher on lateral tibia (P < 0.001), with no significant differences between the two ACLR groups for either measure.


CONCLUSIONS
Cartilage morphology was worse in ACLR patients compared with healthy controls. ACLR patients with associated meniscal pathology have a higher prevalence of cartilage defects than ACLR patients without meniscal pathology. The findings suggest that concomitant meniscal pathology may lead to a greater risk of future OA than isolated ACLR.


METHODS
III.
Centre for Health, Exercise and Sports Medicine, Department of Physiotherapy, School of Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Xinyang
X
Wang
School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Alfred Hospital, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Yuanyuan
Y
Wang
Centre for Health, Exercise and Sports Medicine, Department of Physiotherapy, School of Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Kim L
KL
Bennell
Centre for Health, Exercise and Sports Medicine, Department of Physiotherapy, School of Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Tim V
TV
Wrigley
School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Alfred Hospital, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Flavia M
FM
Cicuttini
Centre for Health, Exercise and Sports Medicine, Department of Physiotherapy, School of Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Karine
K
Fortin
Centre for Musculoskeletal Research, Griffith University, The Gold Coast, QLD, Australia.
David J
DJ
Saxby
Centre for Health, Exercise and Sports Medicine, Department of Physiotherapy, School of Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Ans
A
Van Ginckel
Centre for Musculoskeletal Research, Griffith University, The Gold Coast, QLD, Australia.|School of Psychology and Exercise Science, Murdoch University, Perth, WA, Australia.
Alasdair R
AR
Dempsey
Centre for Musculoskeletal Research, Griffith University, The Gold Coast, QLD, Australia.
Nicole
N
Grigg
Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine Centre, The Gold Coast, QLD, Australia.
Christopher
C
Vertullo
OrthoSport Victoria, Epworth Richmond, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.|La Trobe University Medical Centre, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Julian A
JA
Feller
OrthoSport Victoria, Epworth Richmond, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Tim
T
Whitehead
Centre for Musculoskeletal Research, Griffith University, The Gold Coast, QLD, Australia.
David G
DG
Lloyd
Centre for Health, Exercise and Sports Medicine, Department of Physiotherapy, School of Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. albryant@unimelb.edu.au.
Adam L
AL
Bryant
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016118:Anterior Cruciate Ligament / Q000601:surgery; D059549:Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction; D000886:Anthropometry; D002357:Cartilage Diseases / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007593:Joint Instability; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D000070600:Tibial Meniscus Injuries / Q000601:surgery; D055815:Young Adult
Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction; Cartilage; Magnetic resonance imaging; Meniscal injury; Osteoarthritis