Evaluation of Meniscal Tears of Knee by Post - arthrographic High Resolution CT

Lee, Chong Suh; Cho, Se Hyun; Park, Hyung Bin

Abstract

Tentative diagnosis of meniscal pathology is very helpful for the successful operative management including arthroscopy. Conventional arthrography has long been used to meet this purpose, but it has some limitations due to complex views and some difficulties in imaging the whole anatomical structures. Recent diagnostic advancement produced post-arthrographic HRCT and MRI for the compensation of these problems of conventional arthrography. Arthrography and post-arthrographic HRCT has been carried out on 49 knees in 43 patients. 38 knees among them could be confirmed by arthroscopy and following results were obtained. 1. Diagnostic accuracies of post-arthrographic HRCT for medial and lateral meniscal injuries of knee were 94.7% and 92.1% repectively. 2. Shape, contour of torn meniscus and the relationships between the torn fragments were better demonstrated with HRCT. 3. Horizontal tear could also be suspected by HRCT. 4. Peripheral detachment could be differentiated with synovial recess on the HRCT, especially in the reformat view, but was more clearly visible in arthrography. 5. Arthrography and HRCT can be used as a good complementary study for the evaluation of meniscal injuries.