ABSTRACT
Objective: To investigate the application value of the weight-bearing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in evaluating the stability of knee joint after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Methods: From July 2011 to August 2013, a total of 25 patients with anterior cruciate ligament rupture and reconstruction surgery in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University were enrolled in this study, including 18 males and 7 females, with an average age of (32±5) years. All the patients underwent the weight-bearing MRI, knee joint passive relaxation test (Kneelax 3), and Lysholm score before the surgery and 3 and 6 months after the surgery. The three examinations before and after the operation were analyzed by repeated measures of general linear model, and paired t test was used to compare the results before and after the operation. The correlation between the three preoperative examinations was statistically analyzed. Results: The relaxation data measured by Kneelax 3 after the surgery was significantly lower than that before the operation [(1.1±0.9) mm vs (6.1±1.3) mm, t=16.9, P<0.01]. The post-operative lateral tibial plateau anterior shift score was less than the pre-operative score [(3.0±0.7) mm vs (4.8±1.2) mm, t=6.2, P<0.01]. The post-operative Lysholm score was significantly higher than that before the operation (89±6 vs 64±14, t=-8.3, P<0.05). There was a negative correlation between the anterior displacement of the lateral platform and Lysholm score (r=-0.902, P<0.01). There was no correlation between anterior displacement and passive relaxation of the lateral platform in preoperative weight-bearing MRI. Conclusions: Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction can improve the knee stability. The stability of knee joint can be evaluated by weight-bearing MRI. The anterior tibial displacement measured by the weight-bearing MRI is correlated with the clinical score.
