Diffusion tensor imaging of the anterior cruciate ligament

Abstract

While conventional MRI remains the gold standard in knee imaging, it cannot as yet reliably assess ligament or tendon microstructure. This limitation is significant in orthopaedic and sports medicine, particularly in evaluating the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) grafts after surgery; or the triage, and following up of non surgical candidates for emerging rehabilitation protocols (eg. Cross Bracing Protocol). This project successfully produced DTI tractography of the ACL. While DTI’s utility in neuroradiology is well established, we have shown that DTI has potential utility in musculoskeletal imaging by distinguishing the two bundles of the ACL. In addition to the visual representation of musculoskeletal microstructure, quantitative data can also be extracted in DTI. As such, this opens up new possibilities in evaluating injury and response to injury.