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Oblique sagittal view of the anterior cruciate ligament: Comparison of coronal vs. axial planes as localizing sequences
Author(s) -
Barberie John E.,
Carson Brent W.,
Finnegan Martin,
Wong Anthony D.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
journal of magnetic resonance imaging
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.563
H-Index - 160
eISSN - 1522-2586
pISSN - 1053-1807
DOI - 10.1002/jmri.1174
Subject(s) - coronal plane , sagittal plane , oblique case , medicine , anterior cruciate ligament , axial symmetry , anatomy , orthodontics , nuclear medicine , mathematics , geometry , philosophy , linguistics
The purpose of this study was to determine whether oblique sagittal T2‐weighted images of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) are better prescribed off axial or coronal localizing images. Thirty‐one patients underwent two sets of oblique sagittal T2‐weighted fast spin‐echo sequences to evaluate the ACL. One oblique was prescribed from a coronal localizing sequence, while the other was prescribed off an axial series. Objective (average number of images to demonstrate ACL) and subjective (radiologist's confidence level) evaluations of both sequences were performed independently of the other and then comparatively by two radiologists. The coronally prescribed sagittal oblique was subjectively preferred in 18 patients, the axially prescribed oblique was preferred in one patient, and both sequences were felt to be equivalent in 12 patients. In 13 intact ligaments, the average number of images clearly demonstrating the entire length of the ACL was 1.77 on the coronally prescribed sequence and 1.31 on the axially prescribed images. Oblique sagittal images prescribed off a coronal localizer are both subjectively and objectively more effective than axially prescribed sagittal obliques in evaluating the ACL. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2001;14:203–206. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.