Relation of arthroscopic measurement of tibial footprint with the height, weight, or gender of patients: A pilot study on Indian subject

Abstract

Objectives: A prospective study performed to evaluate whether any correlation exists between tibial footprint size (length and width) of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) with the height, weight, or gender of patients. Materials and Methods: A total of 53 patients presenting with an ACL tear (54 knees) in 8 months duration who underwent ACL reconstruction were evaluated for height, weight, and gender. Arthroscopic measurement of ACL footprint’s length and width with calibrated probe and measuring scale was done and the average of those measurements was recorded and compared using SPSS software. Results: Out of 53 Patients, 45 were male with a mean age of 28.73 years and a mean height of 66.67 inches. Their mean ACL footprint dimension was 17.40 mm × 7.67 mm2. The remaining eight were female patients with a mean age of 29.2 years and a mean height of 66.17 inches. Their mean ACL footprint dimension was 17.35 mm × 7.61 mm2. Correlation between ACL tibia footprint length versus width was found to be statistically significant. However, the correlation between the patient’s height or weight versus ACL tibial footprint (length and width) was not significant statistically. Conclusion: ACL footprint size cannot be predicted from the height, weight, or gender of patients.