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Relationship of native tibial plateau anatomy with stability testing in the anterior cruciate ligament-deficient knee

  • Knee
  • Published:
Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy Aims and scope

Abstract

Purpose

Recent attention has been drawn to tibial plateau slope and depth with relation to both risk of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear and kinematics in the cruciate-deficient knee. The purpose was to evaluate the relationship between native proximal tibial anatomy and knee kinematics in the anterior cruciate-deficient knee.

Methods

Twenty-two cadaveric knees underwent CT scanning to measure proximal tibia anatomy. Translation was measured during Lachman and mechanized pivot-shift tests on the intact knee and then after resection of the ACL. Pearson’s correlation was calculated to assess the relationship between tibial translation of the ACL-deficient knee and tibial plateau anatomic parameters.

Results

No significant correlation was found between ACL-deficient kinematic testing and tibial slope or depth (n.s.). Lateral compartment translation on Lachman and pivot-shift testing correlated with lateral compartment AP length (P = 0.007 and P = 0.033, respectively). The ratio of lateral AP length to medial AP length correlated with lateral compartment translation during the pivot shift (P = 0.002).

Conclusion

There was a poor correlation between native tibial slope and kinematic testing. There were, however, increases in translation during pivot-shift and Lachman testing with increased AP length of the lateral compartment. In addition, the finding of increased pivot-shift magnitude when the lateral compartment was relatively wide in the AP plane compared to the medial compartment suggests that patients with a “dominant” lateral compartment may be prone to a greater magnitude of instability after ACL injury.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lenox Hill Hospital, 130 E 77th St, 8th Fl, New York, NY, 10075, USA

    Gregory J. Galano

  2. Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY, USA

    Eduardo M. Suero, Mustafa Citak, Thomas Wickiewicz & Andrew D. Pearle

Authors
  1. Gregory J. Galano
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  2. Eduardo M. Suero
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  3. Mustafa Citak
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  4. Thomas Wickiewicz
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  5. Andrew D. Pearle
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Correspondence to Gregory J. Galano.

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Galano, G.J., Suero, E.M., Citak, M. et al. Relationship of native tibial plateau anatomy with stability testing in the anterior cruciate ligament-deficient knee. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 20, 2220–2224 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00167-011-1854-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00167-011-1854-9

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