Atsuya Watanabe1, Toshiyuki Okubo1, Haruyasu Yamada1, Tetsuya Kosaka1, Masamichi Takahashi1, Atsushi Nozaki2, Takayuki Obata3, Fumio Osone1, Yuichi Wada4
1Department of Radiology, Teikyo University Chiba Medical Center, Ichihara, Chiba, Japan; 2GE Healthcare; 3Department of Biophysics, National Institute of Radiological Sciences; 4Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Teikyo University Chiba Medical Center, Ichihara, Chiba, Japan
The aim of this study is to evaluate the relation between acute anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture and cartilage injury by use of quantitative magnetic resonance (MR) imaging technique, T2 mapping. Of the 47 patients with acute ACL injury, 24 had a bone bruise at lateral femoral condyle. A significant increase in the T2 of cartilage at the femoral condyle with bone bruise was observed, while no significant increase in the T2 of cartilage at the femoral condyle without bone bruise was observed. The presence of bone bruise at lateral femoral condyle after acute ACL rupture was thought to indicate the presence of cartilage deterioration at that site.