2023, Vol. 27 ›› Issue (27): 4379-4384

Correlation of medial and lateral posterior tibial slope and their differences with anterior cruciate ligament injury

Li Panpan1, Qing Haomiao2, Ren Sixie1, Zhang Yuanyuan1   

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Related studies suggest that the anatomical morphology of the proximal tibia may be correlated with the injury of the anterior cruciate ligament. As one of the anatomical factors of the knee joint, the research on the relationship between the posterior tibial slope and anterior cruciate ligament injury has become a hotspot.  
OBJECTIVE: To analyze the correlation of medial and lateral posterior tibial slope with anterior cruciate ligament injury.
METHODS: The magnetic resonance imaging images of knee joint of 314 patients in Chengdu Second People’s Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. According to the anterior cruciate ligament imaging findings, there were 123 patients in the normal control group, 107 patients in the partial injury group and 84 patients in the complete injury group. The medial and lateral posterior tibial slope and the differences between medial and lateral compartment of the three groups were measured in the three groups to analyze the influencing factors of anterior cruciate ligament injury.  
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) There was no statistical difference in the medial and lateral posterior tibial slope and the differences between medial and lateral compartment between male and female in 314 patients (P > 0.05). (2) The medial and lateral posterior tibial slope in the group with partial anterior cruciate ligament injury and complete anterior cruciate ligament injury was higher than that in the normal group (P < 0.05). The difference of medial and lateral posterior tibial slope was not significantly different among the three groups (P > 0.05). (3) Binary Logistic regression analysis showed that the medial posterior tibial slope was an independent risk factor for anterior cruciate ligament injury (P < 0.05). ROC curve showed that the diagnostic critical value of medial posterior tibial slope was 10.50°, area under curve AUC=0.676 [95%CI: 0.618,0.735, P < 0.001]; sensitivity was 55.5%; specificity was 71.5%. (4) The results indicate that the medial and lateral posterior tibial slope increased in patients with anterior cruciate ligament injury, but the difference between the two was not significantly different from that of the normal control group. The medial posterior tibial slope may be a predictor of the risk of anterior cruciate ligament injury. The greater the medial posterior tibial slope, the greater the possibility of anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Key words: medial posterior tibial slope, lateral posterior tibial slope, anterior cruciate ligament injury, magnetic resonance imaging, knee joint