Objectives : To evaluate clinically and radiologically the elbows of spinal cord injured patients and compare them to the control group. Methods : Twenty patients (10 paraplegics and 10 tetraplegics) were clinically evaluated through assessment of pain scale, measurement of active and passive range of motion, degree of muscle strength and MEPS score. They were also submitted to bilateral plain radiography of the elbows. Both groups were compared to the control group. Results : Four paraplegic and three tetraplegic patients referred mild to moderate, sporadic and motion related pain. The control group was asymptomatic. No statistic significant difference was found in passive range of motion among the three groups. The tetraplegic group showed a lower active range of motion as well as lower MEPS score as compared to the control group. Equal number of patients in the spinal cord injured patients had radiological abnormalities, but those were more severe in the tetraplegic group. Conclusion : Spinal cord injured patients presented clinical and radiological elbow abnormalities, which were more evident on tetraplegics. Level of Evidence III, Case Control.

OBJETIVO: Descrever o formato, a localização e as medidas das inserções tibiais do ligamento cruzado posterior (LCP) para ajudar o cirurgião a criar túneis tibiais anatômicos, durante a reconstrução cirúrgica desse ligamento. MATERIAIS E MÉTODOS : Estudamos a anatomia topográfica e a morfometria das inserções tibiais do LCP em 24 peças anatômicas de joelhos. Fotografamos as inserções ligamentares nas peças anatômicas com uma câmera digital e usamos programa Image J para medir a área de inserção das bandas, em milímetros quadrados, e as distâncias entre pontos significativos, em milímetros. RESULTADOS : Em 54,2% dos joelhos o formato das inserções foi côncavo; na maioria das peças (41,6%) o formato da inserção foi oval. A área média total da inserção tibial do LCP foi de 88,33 ± 21,66 mm2; a área média da inserção tibial da banda anterolateral (AL) foi de 46,79 ± 14,10 mm2 e da banda posteromedial (PM), de 41,54 ± 9,75 mm2. CONCLUSÕES : A banda AL tem uma área de inserção tibial maior do que a PM; as áreas de inserção dessas bandas em nosso estudo foram menores do que as encontradas na literatura. As variações da área de inserção tibial do LCP sugerem que deve haver indicação para reconstruções anatômicas desse ligamento com o uso do túnel tibial único ou duplo, de acordo com as características individuais.

OBJECTIVE: To provide anatomical and morphometric basis of the posterior cruciate ligament's tibial insertions in order to assist the creation of anatomical tibial tunnels, in the ligament surgical reconstruction. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The topographic anatomy and morphometry of the posterior cruciate ligament's anterolateral and posteromedial bundles' tibial insertions were analyzed in 24 anatomical knee pieces. The pieces were photographed by a digital camera and the images obtained were studied by the software ImageJ, where the bundles' insertion areas were measured in square millimeters, and the length of structures and the distances between significant points were measured in millimeters. RESULTS: In 54.2% of the knees the insertion' shape was concave; in most pieces (41.6%) the form of insertion was oval. The average posterior cruciate ligament's tibial insertion total area was 88.33 ± 21.66 mm2; the average anterolateral bundle's tibial insertion area was 46.79 ± 14.10 mm2 and it was 41.54 ± 9.75 mm2 for the posteromedial bundle. CONCLUSIONS: The anterolateral bundle has a tibial insertion area larger than the posteromedial bundle; the insertion areas of those bundles in our study, were smaller than the ones found in the literature. The variations in the posterior cruciate ligament's tibial insertion area suggest that there should be an indication for anatomical reconstructions of this ligament using single or double tibial tunnels according to individual characteristics.