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Correlation of intra-articular osseous measurements with posterior cruciate ligament length on MRI scans

¹ Department of Orthopaedics, Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown, Dublin 15 ² Department of Radiology, Cappagh National Orthopaedic Hospital, Dublin 11, Republic of Ireland

Correspondence: S H Orakzai, Department of Orthopaedics, Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown, Dublin 15, Republic of Ireland. E-mail: sajjadho{at}yahoo.com

Six patients with a clinical diagnosis of chronic posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) rupture, based on a positive posterior drawer test, had a normal appearance of the PCL on an MRI scan. It is postulated that the PCL had been ruptured but healed in a lengthened state. 12 volunteers with no history of knee trauma underwent an MRI scan of the knee. In this control group (n _ 12), there was a close correlation between the lateral femoral condylar width in the sagittal plane and the PCL length, with a ratio of 2:1 (95% confidence interval (CI) _ 1.817–2.095). In the clinically abnormal group (n _ 6), the ratio was 1.49:1 (95% CI _ 1.206–1.782) (p< 0.0005). In conclusion, the ratio of the lateral femoral condylar width in the sagittal plane to the PCL length is a useful index for diagnosing PCL attenuation and lengthening in the presence of a normal morphological MR appearance.