Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Medical Faculty, University Dusseldorf, Moorenstraße 5, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany.
Department of Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery, Medical Faculty, University Dusseldorf, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany.
Sci Rep. 2021 Oct 4;11(1):19687. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-99216-w.
Clinical Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of joints is limited to mere morphologic evaluation and fails to directly visualize joint or ligament function. In this controlled laboratory study, we show that knee joint functionality may be quantified in situ and as a function of graded posterior cruciate ligament (PCL)-deficiency by combining MRI and standardized loading. 11 human knee joints underwent MRI under standardized posterior loading in the unloaded and loaded (147 N) configurations and in the intact, partially, and completely PCL-injured conditions. For each specimen, configuration, and condition, 3D joint models were implemented to analyse joint kinematics based on 3D Euclidean vectors and their projections on the Cartesian planes. Manual 2D measurements served as reference. With increasing PCL deficiency, vector projections increased significantly in the anteroposterior dimension under loading and manual measurements demonstrated similar patterns of change. Consequently, if combined with advanced image post-processing, stress MRI is a powerful diagnostic adjunct to evaluate ligament functionality and joint laxity in multiple dimensions and may have a role in differentiating PCL injury patterns, therapeutic decision-making, and treatment monitoring.
关节的临床磁共振成像（MRI）仅限于形态学评估，无法直接可视化关节或韧带功能。在这项对照实验室研究中，我们通过将 MRI 与标准化加载相结合，证明了膝关节功能可以在原位并作为分级后交叉韧带（PCL）缺失的函数进行定量评估。11 个人类膝关节在未加载和加载（147N）配置以及完整、部分和完全 PCL 损伤条件下进行了标准化后加载的 MRI。对于每个标本、配置和条件，都实施了 3D 关节模型，以基于 3D 欧几里得向量及其在笛卡尔平面上的投影来分析关节运动学。手动 2D 测量用作参考。随着 PCL 缺陷的增加，在加载和手动测量下，前向后的向量投影显著增加，并且表现出相似的变化模式。因此，如果与先进的图像后处理相结合，磁共振成像检查是评估韧带功能和关节松弛度的强大辅助诊断方法，可以在多个维度上区分 PCL 损伤模式，有助于治疗决策和治疗监测。
