Preoperative diagnosis of knee cartilage, meniscal, and ligament injuries by magnetic resonance imaging

Abstract

Abstract Purpose The purpose of the study was to report on the current accuracy measures specific to 1.5‐Tesla MRI of the knee in the patient population prone to injuries of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), the menisci, and the articular cartilage. Methods We accrued patients between January 2018 through August 2021 who underwent a preoperative MRI and were diagnosed with an articular cartilage injury either due to unevenness of articular cartilage in T2‐weighted sequences or due to the irregularity of subchondral bone in T1‐weighted sequences. All patients were treated arthroscopically. Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were calculated for the detection of ACL, meniscus, and cartilage injuries. A P‐value of < 0.05 represented statistical significance. Results One‐hundred and forty‐seven cases which included 150 knee joints were enrolled in this study. The mean age at the time of surgery was 42.9 years‐old. The sensitivity in the diagnosis of ACL injuries was significantly greater than that in the diagnosis of cartilage injuries (P = 0.0083). The ratios of the equality of operative indication in 6 recipient sites were found to be between 90.0% and 96.0%. The diagnostic critical point was within a 1 cm in diameter. Conclusion The diagnostic sensitivity in cartilage injuries was significantly lower than ones of ACL and meniscal injuries. The ratios of the equality of operative indication was determined to be between 90.0% and 96.0%, if we consider the unevenness of articular cartilage or the irregularity of subchondral bone. Level of evidence Level III, Prospective diagnostic cohort study.

Keywords

• Knee articular cartilage
• Magnetic resonance imaging
• Diagnosis
• Meniscus
• Anterior cruciate ligament