Evaluation of anterior cruciate ligament ruptures by three dimension MR imaging

Objective: To compare the diagnostic performance of conventional 2D and 3D Cube MR imaging to identify complete and partial tears of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Methods: Forty patients suspected of having tears of anterior cruciate ligament were prospectively studied by 3.0 T conventional 2D and 3D Cube MR imaging and arthroscopy. MR images were interpreted in consensus by two experienced radiologists, and the ACL was diagnosed as being normal, partially torn, or completely torn. Diagnostic accuracy of 2D and 3D Cube MR for the detection of both complete and partial tears of ACL was calculated using arthroscopy as the standard of reference. Area under curve (AUC) of both methods were calculated using ROC curves and were compared using Hanley and McNeil curve comparison. Results: Sixteen patients had intact ACL, 12 had complete tear, and 12 had partial tear of the ACL at arthroscopy. For complete ACL tear, AUC of 2D MR and 3D Cube was 0.839 and 0.923 respectively, and there was no significant difference on ROC curves (Z=1.245, P=0.213). For partial ACL tears, AUC of 2D and 3D Cube MR were 0.643 and 0.881 respectively, and there was significant difference on ROC curves (Z=2.384, P=0.017). Conclusions: Both 2D MR and 3D Cube MR have high sensitivity and specificity for identifying the complete ruptures of ACL. 3D Cube MRI appears to be superior identifying partial rupture of ACL. (authors)