Assessment of the Anterior Oblique Ligament in Magnetic Resonance of Patients with Acute Injury of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament
J.P.F. Guerreiro, I.V.V. Araujo, B. Terra, C.E.A. Shiguihara, P.R. Bignardi, M.V. DanieliObjective:
To evaluate the possibility of visualizing and identifying lesions of the anterior oblique ligament (AOL) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with acute anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.
Methods:
A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted between June 2023 and January 2025, including 98 MRI scans of patients with confirmed acute ACL rupture. The images were independently reassessed by a radiologist and an orthopedic surgeon to identify the AOL and possible associated injuries. Statistical analyses were performed using the Mann-Whitney, McNemar, and Kappa tests to assess agreement and associations between variables.
Results:
The AOL was visualized in 81.6% of the scans by the radiologist and in 70.4% by the orthopedic surgeon (Kappa=0.64), indicating good agreement. Lesions were identified in 35.7% and 29.6% of cases, respectively, showing moderate agreement (Kappa=0.49). There was a significant difference in AOL visualization between observers (p=0.002), no statistically significant difference in lesion identification (p=0.200), and an inverse relationship between time since injury and lesion detection (p=0.003).
Conclusion:
MRI evaluation of the AOL is feasible and reproducible, particularly in examinations performed during the acute phase of ACL injury.