Association of femoral intercondylar notch geometry with risk of anterior cruciate ligament injury in a black patient population

Abstract

Background: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries can significantly affect the productivity and quality of life of the individual. Certain factors such as notch width and notch width index that predispose to such an injury can be screened for to help in injury prevention strategies. Methodology: Consecutive cases of anterior cruciate ligament injury in male patients and age- and gender-matched controls were recruited for the study. The anthropometric characteristics of patients in both groups was noted. The notch width (NW) and notch width index (NWI) were measured. The mean values of the anthropometric characteristics and the notch width and notch width indices of both groups were compared using independent t-test at a p-value of <0.05. The frequency of the various femoral notch morphologies was also noted in both groups. Results: The mean notch width index in the control group was significantly higher than among cases of ACL injury (p = 0.01). patients with ACL injuries were 9.75 times more likely to have stenotic femoral notch than those without. No statistically significant relationship was established between the anthropometric characteristics of both groups, and the NW, NWI and femoral morphology. Conclusion: ACL injured patients tend to have a narrower femoral notch. Study Design: Case-control study; Level of evidence, III

Keywords

• Notch width
• Notch width index
• Anterior cruciate ligament
• Notch morphology
• Notch stenosis