title: Normal Magnetic Resonance Imaging Anatomy of the Anterolateral Knee Ligament With a T2/T1-Weighted 3-Dimensional Sequence: A Feasibility Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The anatomy of the lateral knee compartment has been recently further explored with description of the anterolateral knee ligament (ALL). The purpose of this study was to confirm the presence of ALL on cadaveric knees and to describe its normal anatomy in young healthy volunteers, utilizing a high-resolution 3-dimensional (3D) pulse sequence.
  
  
  METHODS
  Dissection was performed on 9 cadaveric knees in order to confirm the presence of ALL. Conventional 2-dimensional sequences of 10 knees at 1.5 T and 10 knees at 3 T, with a slice thickness of 2-4 mm, were reviewed for the presence of ALL. A 3D T2/T1-weighted gradient echo sequence (constructive interference in steady state [CISS]), yielding in-plane resolution of 0.4 mm × 0.4 mm × 0.4 mm, was applied in 14 healthy volunteers (26 knees). All 3D images were manipulated using multiplanar reconstruction (MPR) and the presence and width of ALL were recorded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cadaveric dissection disclosed the presence of ALL in 8 of 9 knees. Conventional knee MR imaging depicted ALL only on coronal images (18 of 20) whereas the CISS revealed ALL on 24 of 26 studied knees (92.3%). ALL has a mean thickness of 1.1 ± 0.27 mm measured on coronal MR images.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ALL can be thoroughly assessed in young healthy individuals with the use of high-resolution 3D MR imaging with MPR at 1.5 T.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Imaging, University Hospital of Heraklion, Heraklion, Greece.
authors.forename: Michail E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Klontzas
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Physics, University Hospital of Heraklion, Heraklion, Greece; Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece.
authors.forename: Thomas G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Maris
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Medical School, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece.
authors.forename: Aristeidis H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Zibis
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Imaging, University Hospital of Heraklion, Heraklion, Greece; Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece. Electronic address: akarantanas@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Apostolos H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Karantanas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002102:Cadaver; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D008023:Ligaments, Articular / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male
keywords: Anterolateral ligament/knee; Cadaveric knees; Constructive interference in steady-state magnetic resonance sequence; Knee joint anatomy; Magnetic resonance imaging/diagnosis