Evaluation of the relationship between the femoro-tibial angle and meniscal injury

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between the presence of meniscal injury and the femorotibial angle in the knee joint.

METHODS: Patients who underwent knee magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at our department between January 2015 and March 2015 were included in this study. Knee MR images of these patients were retrospectively re-evaluated for meniscal injury. The anatomic femorotibial angle measurements of the patients were calculated using AP knee radiograms. The relationship between femorotibial angle values and the presence of meniscal injury was analyzed.

RESULTS: One hundred and fourteen knee joints of 101 patients were included. The mean age of the patients was 40.6 +/- 13.4 years. The number of injured medial menisci was 92 and the average femorotibial angle in these knees was 5.6 +/- 1.88; the number of non-injured medial menisci was 22 and the average femorotibial angle value in these knees was 5.8 +/- 1.92 (p=0.82); The number of lateral meniscus with injury was 22 and the mean femorotibial angle value in these knees was 6.1 +/- 1.50; the number of lateral meniscus without injury was 92 and the average femorotibial angle value in these knees was 5.6 +/- 1.96 (p=0.20).

CONCLUSION: In our study, there was no statistically significant correlation between femorotibial angle values and the presence of injury in medial and lateral meniscuses. We believe that frontal plane bone alignment disorder of the knee does not have a predisposition to meniscal injury.