Presentation
Chronic knee pain. No history of trauma.
Patient Data
Age: 35 years
Gender: Female
From the case:
ACL mucoid degeneration with ganglion cysts
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The anterior cruciate ligament is intact, but appears thickened and hyperintense, with a "celery stalk" appearance, in keeping with its mucoid degeneration. Additionally, ganglion cysts are seen extruding from between the proximal ACL fibers.
Case Discussion
The ACL mucoid degeneration and ganglion cysts are often co-existing MRI findings. Some authors suspect that this implies common pathogenesis of these entities, others suggest that mucoid degeneration is a predisposing factor for ganglion cyst formation.
These changes are easy to spot on MRI, in contrast to arthroscopy, especially with the standard anterior portal approach, which usually shows a normal-appearing ACL.
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