Cruciate ligament assessment in MRI scans: a pilot study of a static drawer technique

Ten subjects with cruciate ligament rupture (five ACL and five PCL), and four normal subjects underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with a novel splint that stresses the knee. The splint acted as a fulcrum to translate the tibia in an anterior and posterior direction, depending on application. The MRI images showed that translation of the tibial plateaux occurred but not in a simple manner. The resultant images did not show marked anterior tibial translation in the ACL ruptured knee with an anterior drawer, nor posterior tibial translation for the PCL injured knee in posterior drawer. The medial plateau tended to move posteriorly in anterior drawer in the normal knees. The secondary MRI findings of ACL injury and associated meniscal injuries were enhanced. A further study with 50 subjects in each group, and arthroscopic confirmation of the findings, would be required to confirm these results.