ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE@#To measure anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), combined with ACL half quantitative measurement magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) method as the contrast, and to preliminarily investigate the feasibility of DTI for ACL.@*METHODS@#The ACLs of 31 healthy volunteers were scanned with ordinary MRI and DTI. At ordinary MRI map, sagittal ACL-tibial angle, coronal ACL-tibial angle, Blumensaat line-ACL angle, angle of inclination of the intercondylar roof, and ACL-tibial insertion site were measured. As for DTI analysis of ACL, ACL was divide to 5 portions, namely 1(st), 2(nd), 3(rd), 4(th), 5(th), and all fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of every portion were recorded and repeated.@*RESULTS@#The sagittal ACL-tibial angle, coronal ACL-tibial angle, Blumensaat line-ACL angle, angle of inclination of the intercondylar roof, and ACL-tibial insertion site were 53.00°±2.46°, 52.42°±5.15°, 12.67°±5.71°, 39.41°±2.64°, (24.90±2.84)%, respectively. FA values of different portions were 0.611±0.042, 0. 618±0.051, 0.596±0.045, 0.566±0.059, and 0.497±0.072. ADC values of 1(st)-5(th) portion were (1.068±0.216), (1.128±0.268), (1.189±0.197), (1.455±0.423), and (1.779±0.384)× 10(-3) mm(2)/s. The correlation coefficient of sagittal ACL-tibial angle and the FA value of 2(nd) and 3(rd) portion was -0.568 and -0.429. The correlation coefficient of Blumensaat line-ACL angle and the FA value of 1(st) and 4(th) portion was -0.507 and -0.633. The correlation coefficient of ACL-tibial insertion site and the FA value of 4(th) portion was -0.593, all with statistical significance. FA and ADC values of all portions in both team's ACL didn't have significant difference (P>0.05), but had obvious correlation.@*CONCLUSION@#DTI can be used to effectively evaluate the orientation and connection of ACL, having good contrast virtue with ACL half quantitative MRI measurement. It may provide more profound ACL information for clinicians, and it is of great significance for the further research and large sample data base of ACL pathology.