抄録
The medial collateral ligament (MCL) of the knee is the primary static stabilizer against valgus rotation of the knee and a secondary restraint to anterior tibial translation. In previous studies, stiffness of the MCL was described using length change data under both in vivo and in vitro conditions. This study aimed to describe a direct method to measure the stiffness of the MCL over a range of knee flexion angles using strain ultrasound elastography. Ten healthy males were included. Strain elastography with an acoustic coupler as the reference material was used to obtain relative stiffness of the proximal, middle, and distal portions of the superficial MCL and the meniscofemoral and meniscotibial components of the deep MCL while placing the knees in flexion at angles of 0°, 30°, 60°, 90°, and 120°. The results of this study ensured good measurement reliability with good to excellent intrarater and interrater agreements. The relative stiffness of the MCL was greater during low flexion angles, and the ligament was relaxed when the knee flexion angle increased. Strain elastography with an acoustic coupler is a feasible and reliable method to assess the relative stiffness of the MCL.
