Abstract
Non-contact ACL injuries are more common in female, than in male athletes. One of the possible risk factors discussed were morphologic variations in intercondylar notch height and width. The supposed pathomechanism of injury was related to a narrower and higher built intercondylar notch in female in regard to male athletes. We measured 2 intercondylar notch morphometric parameters and their indices of 100 dry human femora as to estimate the values and differences of intercondylar notch morphology in men and women. We determined that there is a difference between linear morphometric parameters of the intercondylar notch between male and female samples. The mean for both samples, regarding ICW, was 18.71±3.82 mm with the maximum value being 32 mm and minimum 10 mm. For male ICW values the mean was 19.32±4.25 mm with the maximum value being 32 mm and minimum 10 mm. Female ICW value mean was 18,04±3.40 mm with the maximum value being 25 mm and minimum value being 10 mm. The ICH value mean in both genders was 28,00±4.48 mm with the maximum value of 40 mm and minimum 15 mm. The male ICH values mean was 29.05±5.58 mm with maximum value being 40 mm and minimum 15 mm. Female ICH values mean was 26. 85±4.12 mm with the maximum value of 35 mm and minimum value 16 mm. No gender difference was found between intercondylar notch geometrical indices and as such the intercondylar notch geometrical indices cannot be used to explain the more often occurence of non- contact injuries in female athletes.
