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This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 35/2/294    most recent 0363546506294079v1 Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Van de Velde, S. K. Articles by Li, G. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Van de Velde, S. K. Articles by Li, G. Related Collections Reconstruction Anatomy Biomechanics Imaging Studies Knee

The Effect of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Deficiency on the In Vivo Elongation of the Medial and Lateral Collateral Ligaments

Samuel K. Van de Velde, MD^*,, Louis E. DeFrate, ScD^*, Thomas J. Gill, MD^*, Jeremy M. Moses, MD^*, Ramprasad Papannagari, MS^* and Guoan Li, PhD^*,

From the ^* Bioengineering Laboratory, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, and the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University Hospital Pellenberg/Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Pellenberg, Belgium

Address correspondence to Guoan Li, PhD, Bioengineering Laboratory, GRJ 1215, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02114 (e-mail: gli1{at}partners.org).

Background: Although anterior cruciate ligament deficiency has been shown to lead to joint degeneration, few quantitative data have been reported on its effect on soft tissue structures surrounding the knee joint.

Hypothesis: Anterior cruciate ligament deficiency will alter the deformation of both collateral ligaments during in vivo weight-bearing knee function from 0°to 90°.

Study Design: Controlled laboratory study.

Methods: Six patients who had acute anterior cruciate ligament injury in 1 knee with the contralateral side intact participated in this study. Using magnetic resonance and dual orthogonal fluoroscopic imaging techniques, we measured the length of the fiber bundles of the superficial medial collateral ligament, deep medial collateral ligament, and lateral collateral ligament of the 6 patients; the healthy contralateral knee of each patient served as a control.

Results: Anterior cruciate ligament injury caused a significant elongation of the fiber bundles of the superficial and deep medial collateral ligament at every flexion angle. In contrast, the lateral collateral ligament fiber bundles shortened after anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Conclusion: The altered deformations of the collateral ligaments associated with the changes in tibiofemoral joint kinematics after anterior cruciate ligament injury demonstrate that deficiency of 1 of the knee joint structures upsets the in vivo knee homeostasis.

Clinical Relevance: Restoring normal knee kinematics after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction is critical to restore the normal function of the collateral ligaments.

Key Words: anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) • medial collateral ligament (MCL) • lateral collateral ligament (LCL) • ACL injury • in vivo biomechanics • knee stability

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. K. Van de Velde, T. J. Gill, L. E. DeFrate, R. Papannagari, and G. Li The Effect of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Deficiency and Reconstruction on the Patellofemoral Joint Am. J. Sports Med., June 1, 2008; 36(6): 1150 - 1159. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]