Graft Maturity Assessment by Magnetic Resonance Imaging and its Relation with Functional Scores after Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction with Hamstring Graft

Abstract Background/Objectives: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction is a common procedure performed in orthopedic surgery. There are many methods to evaluate the functional outcome postoperatively, but no single reliable method exists to assess graft maturity. The purpose of this research is to evaluate graft maturity by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and its relation with functional outcome at the end of 6 months and 12 months. Materials and Methods: MRIs were performed on 32 patients who underwent ACL reconstruction at 6 and 12 months following surgery. The measurements were made of the background, posterior cruciate ligament, and signal intensity of the graft. The calculation of the signal noise quotient (SNQ) was done. The correlations between the international knee documentation committee (IKDC) at 6 and 12 months and the SNQ values at 6 and 12 months were assessed. Results: After 6 months, the mean SNQ value was 3.8953 ± 2.6561, and after 12 months, it was 2.6013 ± 1.7337. In addition, the mean IKDC was 43.3 preoperatively, 52.8125 ± 9.24728 at 6 months’ follow-up and 70.6875 ± 8.32578 at 12 months’ follow-up. The 12-month SNQ values showed a significant decrease, according to RMANOVA ( F [1,62] = 6.50871, P = 0.01316). Conversely, the IKDC scores at 12 months demonstrated a statistically significant rise ( F [1,62] = 66.03667, P < 0.001). Conclusion: MRI is a reliable investigation to assess the graft maturity. In our study, hamstring graft demonstrated superior maturity at 12 months as compared to 6 months’ postsurgery. There was a noteworthy inverse relationship between graft SNQ and IKDC scoring. MRI assessment at 6 months and 12 months is desirable to know graft’s maturity and helps to modify the rehabilitation protocol.