The Precision of MRI in the Diagnosis of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury Among Athletes in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Introduction: An anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is frequently injured among athletes. ACL injuries occur due to strong contact or indirect knee trauma, causing the enlarging or destroying of non-contractile, and elastic soft-tissue articular structures. Aims: An anterior cruciate ligament injury is the most injured among young athletes. It could be a complete or partial tear. This study aimed to evaluate the role of MRI and physical examination in diagnosis of anterior cruciate ligament tears among athletes. Method: The data on anterior cruciate ligament tears were collected retrospectively from Riyadh's main hospitals, KSA. The diagnosis went through physical examinations and MRI knee protocol, and the final diagnosis in most cases was based on the physical examination combined with an MRI image. Results: Our data consists of 32 male athletic patients with anterior cruciate ligament tears. The incidence of athlete injuries was mainly among young males between 20-35 years old. The most commonly reported was a partial tear by 66% and a complete tear by 34%. MRI is the main tool to evaluate ACL injury and differentiate between partial and complete ACL tear Conclusion: The final reported cases were diagnosed by using a special MRI knee protocol. A partial tear is the most common injury among young male Saudi athletes, which is a male injury in Saudi society.