1) Review anatomy of the anterior cruciate ligament. 2) Address the pathomechanics for ACL injury. 3) Recognize the primary and findings for ACL tears and mucoid degeneration. 4) Understand reasons for surgery and surgical techniques and their complications.
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is an important structure that stabilizes the knee. It runs from the lateral femoral notch to the tibia and resists anterior translation and knee rotation. Injuries of the ACL are caused by various different stresses on the knee and result in partial and full thickness tears. These tears are well seen with MRI. Secondary findings are also seen accompanying ACL tears, including characteristic contusions, impaction fractures, anterior tibial translation and meniscal and ligament tears. Surgery for ACL is often performed with either patellar tendon or hamstring graft. The normal postop appearance is defined by several parameters, and sometimes a normal MRI accompanies a lax ACL graft that needs to be surgerized. Complications of ACL surgery are many and this lecture will review some of them. Poor technique, failure to stabilize a posterolateral corner injury and reinjury of the ACL following trauma, a cyclops lesion, arthrofibrosis and loose hardware are some of the causes of graft failure.
Steinbach, L,
MRI of the Knee: ACL. Radiological Society of North America 2014 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, - ,Chicago IL.
http://archive.rsna.org/2014/14000970.html
