Association of mucoid degeneration of anterior cruciate ligament with knee meniscal and cartilage damage

作者：Kwee R M; Ahlawat S; Kompel A J; Morelli J N; Fayad L M; Zikria B A; Demehri S^*

来源：Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, 2015, 23(9): 1543-1550.

DOI：10.1016/j.joca.2015.04.013

• Anterior cruciate ligament
• Mucoid degeneration
• Cartilage
• Menisci
• Osteoarthritis
• Magnetic resonance imaging

Objective: To assess the prevalence of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) mucoid degeneration in patients referred for routine knee magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, and its association with age and structural joint damage.
Method: Four independent radiologists assessed 413 consecutive knee MR examinations for the presence of a normal or ruptured ACL, or ACL mucoid degeneration. Knees with ACL mucoid degeneration were frequency matched by age, sex, and MR field strength with consecutive control knees with a normal ACL (1:2 ratio). Differences in meniscal and cartilage damage of the tibiofemoral compartments, as determined by the Whole-Organ MR Imaging Score (WORMS) system, were compared by Manne-Whitney U tests. Multivariable logistic regression analysis identified the association of ACL mucoid degeneration with severe MTFC cartilage damage (WORMS >= 5).
Results: Patients with ACL mucoid degeneration (n = 36; 36% males; median age 55.5 years, range: 26-81) were older than patients with a normal (P < 0.001) or ruptured ACL (P < 0.001), without sex predilection (P = 0.76), and were more frequently diagnosed at 3 T (12%) compared to 1.5 T (2%). Knees with ACL mucoid degeneration had statistically significantly more medial meniscal (P < 0.001) and central and posterior medial tibiofemoral compartment (MTFC) cartilage (P < 0.001) damage compared with control knees (n = 72), but there were no differences in patients <= 50 years (P = 0.09 and 0.32, respectively). In multivariable logistic regression, severe MTFC cartilage damage (WORMS >= 5) was significantly associated with ACL mucoid degeneration (odds ratio 4.09, 95% confidence interval 1.29-12.94, P = 0.016).
Conclusion: There is a strong association between ACL mucoid degeneration and cartilage damage in the central and posterior MTFC, especially in patients >50 years.

• 出版日期2015-9