Chronic posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injuries can present with various MRI appearances, posing challenges in accurately diagnosing and assessing functional integrity.
📌Key points regarding chronic PCL complete tears:
1️⃣Morphological Changes:
- The chronically injured PCL may appear thickened, elongated, or have a persistently abnormal contour on MRI.
- Discontinuity of the ligament is uncommon in chronic cases.
2️⃣Diminutive or Non-visualization:
- In some chronic tears, the PCL may appear diminutive or not visualized on MRI.
3️⃣Near-normal Appearance:
- A significant proportion (28% in one study) of chronic PCL injuries may demonstrate a near-normal MRI appearance, despite functional deficiency.
4️⃣Residual Morphologic Deformity:
- In many cases (44% in one study), the PCL may appear continuous but with residual morphologic deformity, indicating a previous injury.
✅Limitations of MRI:
- MRI has limitations in detecting chronically injured and functionally deficient PCL, as the ligament's appearance may not accurately reflect its functional status.
Magn Reson Imaging Clin N Am. 2022 May;30(2):261-275
Radiology. 2016 Oct;281(1):23-40.
Semin Musculoskelet Radiol. 2016 Feb;20(1):43-51
Radiology. 2016 Oct;281(1):23-40.
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