부산대학교 도서관

We investigated the serial changes in MR appearance of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) grafts after reconstruction, and looked for a correlation between MRI and clinical results. Fifty-four patients underwent serial MRI examinations at 5, 11 and 24 months after arthroscopically-assisted ACL reconstruction. The MR appearance of the graft was categorized into three types depending on the signal intensity and continuity of the ligament: low signal type, intermediate type and high signal type. For the low signal type, a homogeneous low signal band with continuity was visualized over the entire course; for the intermediate type, the signal intensity increased and low signal band was visualized only in part of the graft; and for the high signal type, the graft was not identified through the joint cavity due to markedly increased signal. Forty-three of the 54 patients retained normal low signal type during the first two years of reconstruction. They were classified as Group A. Four of the remaining 11 patients showed intermediate type at five months and altered to high signal type after 12 months. The remaining seven patients showed high signal type at five months and persisted with the same MR type until 24 months. These 11 patients with increased signal intensity were classified as Group B. The mean injured-to-uninjured differences of KT-2000 arthrometer measurements were significantly greater in Group B than that in Group A. Moreover, the percentage of cases with a difference of 5 mm or more was significantly higher in Group B (54.5%) than in Group A (9.3%). It is concluded that the majority of the grafts showed no changes in signal intensity during the first two years of reconstruction. The increase in signal intensity observed in some patients may be a reflection of a deterioration in graft integrity following reconstruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]