ACL diagnosis – The correlation between Rolimeter and MRI

Summary Background Sports activities are the most common way to get an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Correct diagnoses in the early phase after the knee injury is essential to establish a rehabilitation plan and, in the case of ACL-diagnosis, to avoid re-injuring the knee with increased risk of meniscal tears and/or osteoarthritis. The aim was to determine whether it is possible to confirm an ACL-injury with the Rolimeter measurements in the acute phase of a knee trauma, and if it correlates with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings or arthroscopy. Material and Methods Thirty-four patients with an acute knee trauma, 20 women and 14 men, aged from 15–44 years, with a mean age of 24.8 (SD ± 7.3) participated. All were examined with the Rolimeter in the acute phase after a suspected ACL-injury. They also underwent MRI (n = 29) or arthroscopy (n = 5) wherein the injury was confirmed. Results A great consistency was seen in diagnosing the ACL-injuries with the Rolimeter measurement compared to MRI findings. The specificity (90.9%), sensitivity (91.3%), accuracy (91.2%), PPV (95.5%) and NPV (83.3%) were high in this study. Conclusions The Rolimeter measurement procedure is a safe and quick method in diagnosing an ACL-injury in the acute phase. Further studies should focus on larger cohorts and compare an early diagnosis to patient related outcome measures and societal/economical gains.