Abstract
The study was conducted on 50 cadavers (32 male and 18 female, aged 15–53 years; mean 34; SD 11) with intact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), without diagnosed gonarthrosis of the knee joint. The following anatomical parameters of the ACL were measured: the length of anteromedial and posterolateral bundle, the mean length and the width of the ligament, the length and width of tibial insertion, the length and width of femoral insertion. The intercondylar width was measured at the level of popliteal groove. The width of male intercondylar notch (22 mm) was statistically significantly greater (P < 0.05) than the width of female intercondylar notch (18 mm). The width of the male ACL (12 mm) was significantly greater (P < 0.05) than the width of the female ACL (10 mm). The length of the male ACL femoral insertion (14 mm) was statistically significantly greater (P < 0.05) than in the female ACL femoral insertion (12 mm). Accordingly, with greater width of intercondylar notch, men have wider ACL than women. ACL width is in positive correlation with the male intercondylar notch width but it is not in correlation with the female intercondylar notch width. The width of male intercondylar notch correlates with the length and width of ACL femoral insertion. Taking into account the length and width of femoral insertion in examined cadaver knees, double bundle reconstruction would theoretically be possible in 76% of cases.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anderson AF, Dome DC, Gautam S et al (2001) Correlation of antropometric measurements, strength, anterior cruciate ligament size, and intercondylar notch characteristics to sex differences in anterior cruciate ligament tear rates. Am J Sports Med 29:58–66
Anderson AF, Lipscomb AB, Liudahl KJ et al (1987) Analysis of intercondylar notch by computed tomography. Am J Sports Med 15:547–552
Arnoczky SP (1983) Anatomy of the anterior cruciate ligament. Clin Orthop Relat Res 172:19–25
Bergfeld JA (2008) Single- or double-ACL reconstruction: technique vs. concept. Orthop Today 28:46. Available via DIALOG: http://www.orthosupersite.com/view.asp?rID=27491
Bradley J, Fitzpatrick D, Daniel D, Shercliff T, O’Connor J (1988) The evaluation of cruciate ligament orientation in the sagittal plane—a method of predicting length changes vs. knee flexion. J Bone Joint Surg 70B:94–99
Davis TJ, Shelbourne KD, Klootwyk TE (1999) Correlation of the intercondylar notch width of the femur to the width of the anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 7:209–214
Dienst M, Schneider G, Altmeyer K, Voelkering K, Georg T, Kramann B, Kohn D (2007) Correlation of intercondylar notch cross section to the LCA size: a high resolution MT tomographic in vivo analysis. Arch Orthop Trauma Surg 127:253–260
Edwards A, Bull AMJ, Amis AA (2007) The attachments of the anteromedial and posterolateral fibre bundles of the anterior cruciate ligament. Part 1: tibial attachment. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 15:1414–1421
Edwards A, Bull AMJ, Amis AA (2008) The attachments of the anteromedial and posterolateral fibre bundles of the anterior cruciate ligament. Part 2: femoral attachment. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 16:29–36
Girgis FG, Marshall JL, Al Monajem ARS (1975) The cruciate ligaments of the knee joint: anatomical, functional and experimental analysis. Clin Orthop Relat Res 106:216–231
Giron F, Cuomo P, Aglietti P, Bull AMJ, Amis AA (2006) Femoral attachment of the anterior cruciate ligament. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 14:250–256
Griffin LY, Agel J, Albohm MJ, Arendt EA, Dick RW, Garrett WE, Garrick JG, Hewett TE, Huston L, Ireland ML, Johnson RJ, Kibler WB, Lephart S, Lewis JL, Lindenfend TN, Mandelbaum BR, Marchak P, Teitz CC, Wojtys EM (2000) Noncontact anterior cruciate ligament injuries: risk factors and prevention strategies. J Am Acad Orthop Surg 8:141–150
Iwahashi T, Shino K, Nakata K, Nakamura N, Yamada Y, Yoshikawa H, Sugamoto K (2008) Assessment of the “functional length” of the three bundles of the anterior cruciate ligament. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 16:167–174
Jackson DW (1993) The anterior cruciate ligament: current and future concepts. Raven Press, New York
Koukoubis TD, Glisson RR, Bolognesi M, Vail TP (1997) Dimensions of the intercondylar notch of the knee. Am J Knee Surg 10:83–87
Lešić A, Bumbaširević M (1999) The clinical anatomy of cruciate ligaments and its relevance in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Folia Anatomica 27:1–11
Lund-Hanssen H, Gannon J, Engebretsen L et al (1994) Intercondylar notch width and the risk for anterior cruciate ligament rupture: a case control study in 46 female handball players. Acta Orthop Scand 65:529–532
Muneta T, Takakuda K, Yamamota H (1997) Intercondylar notch width and its relation to the configuration and coss-sectional area of the anterior cruciate ligament. A cadaveric knee study. Am J Sports Med 25:69–72
Murshed AM, Cicekcibasi AE, Karabacakoglu A, Seker M, Ziylan T (2005) Distal femur morphometry: a gender and bilateral comparative study using magnetic resonance imaging. Surg Radiol Anat 27:108–112
Norwood LA, Cross MJ (1977) The intercondylar shelf and anterior cruciate ligament. Am J Sports Med 5:171–176
Papachristou G, Sourlas J, Magnissalis E, Plessas S, Papachristou K (2007) ACL reconstruction and the implication of its tibial attachment for stability of the joint: anthropometric and biomechanical study. Int Orthop 31:465–470
Shelbourne KD, Davis TJ, Klootwyk TE (1998) The Relationship between intercondylar notch width of the femur and the incidence of anterior cruciate ligament tears. Am J Sports Med 26:402–408
Shelbourne KD, Facibene WA, Hunt JJ (1997) Radiographic and intraoperative intercondylar notch width measurements in men and women with unilateral and bilateral anterior cruciate ligament tears. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 5:229–233
Stäubli HU, Adam O, Becker W, Burgkart R (1999) Anterior cruciate ligament and intercondylar notch in the coronal oblique plane: anatomy complemented by magnetic resonance imaging in cruciate ligament-intact knees. Arthroscopy 15:349–359
Acknowledgments
We would like to state our deepest gratitude to Prof. Robert J. Johnson who carefully edited this manuscript and made the completion of this work possible. This study was supported by grant # 156031 from the Ministry of Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Stijak, L., Radonjić, V., Nikolić, V. et al. Correlation between the morphometric parameters of the anterior cruciate ligament and the intercondylar width: gender and age differences. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 17, 812–817 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00167-009-0807-z
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00167-009-0807-z