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Abstract #0377

Diffusion Tensor Imaging of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament Graft

Pieter Van Dyck1, Eline De Smet1, Martijn Froeling2, Peter Verdonk3, Michaƫl Torfs1, Pim Pullens1, Jan Sijbers4, Paul M Parizel1, and Ben Jeurissen4

1Dept. of Radiology, University Hospital Antwerp, Edegem, Belgium, 2Dept. of Radiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Netherlands, 3Dept. of Orthopedics, Monica Orthopedic Research (MoRe) Foundation, Monica Hospital, Belgium, 4Vision Lab, Dept. of Physics, University of Antwerp, Belgium

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction using a tendon graft remains the standard of care for ACL injuries. Postoperatively, the graft undergoes a biologic transition from tendinous to ligamentous in appearance. Despite substantial research efforts, little is known about the human ACL graft ligamentization process. Much of the current knowledge on graft ligamentization have been derived from biopsy studies. However, biopsies are invasive and suffer from sampling error. Our study demonstrates the feasibility and reliability of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) for visualization and quantification of the ACL graft and supports its potential to serve as a biomarker to assess graft maturity.

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