Do Sex-Specific Differences Exist in ACL Attachment Location? An MRI-Based 3-Dimensional Topographic Analysis. Issue 11 (26th November 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Dimitriou, Dimitris; Wang, Zhongzheng; Zou, Diyang; Helmy, Naeder; Tsai, Tsung-Yuan
• Is Part Of: Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine. Volume 8:Issue 11(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-11-26
• Subjects: anterior cruciate ligament -- anteromedial bundle -- posterolateral bundle -- tibial insertion -- sex -- female; Sports medicine -- Periodicals; Orthopedics -- Periodicals; Arthroscopy -- Periodicals; Arthroplasty -- Periodicals; Knee -- Surgery -- Periodicals; 616.7
• DOI: 10.1177/2325967120964477
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2325-9671

Abstract

Background: Female sex is an independent risk factor for an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, as the incidence of an ACL rupture is 4- to 6-fold higher in female athletes compared with their male counterparts. The ACL attachment location as a potential risk factor for the increased ACL rupture rate in women has never been reported in the literature. Purpose/Hypothesis: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the 3-dimensional topographic anatomy of the ACL bundle attachment in female and male patients, with and without an ACL rupture, and identify potential sex-related differences. We hypothesized that the ACL attachment location would be significantly different between men and women, in both the intact- and ruptured-ACL states. Study Design: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Magnetic resonance images of the knee from 90 patients (55 men, 35 women) with a ruptured ACL and 90 matched controls (55 men, 35 women), who suffered a noncontact knee injury without ACL rupture, were used to create 3-dimensional models of the femur and tibia. The ACL bundles' origin and insertion were outlined on each model, and their location was measured using an anatomical coordinate system. A 2-way analysis of variance was used to compare the ACL attachment location between male and female patients, with and without an ACL rupture. Results: No significant differences were found between female and male participants regarding ACL attachment location (femoral origin and tibial insertion). Patients with a ruptured ACL demonstrated a significantly different ACL origin compared with the participants with an intact ACL by an average difference of 8.9% more posterior ( P < .05) and 4.0% more proximal ( P < .05) in men and 13.0% more posterior ( P < .05) and 5.5% more proximal ( P < .05) to the flexion-extension axis of the knee in women. Conclusion: The ACL attachment location should not be considered a risk factor for the increased ACL rupture rates in female compared with male athletes. However, a more posterior and proximal location of the femoral ACL origin might be a predisposing factor to an ACL rupture regardless of sex.