The Accuracy of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Compared with the Findings of Arthroscopy in Meniscus Injury

Lee, Han Koo; Seong, Sang Cheol; Lee, Soo Ho; Chung, Phil Hyun; Lee, Kye Hyoung

Abstract

From March 1988 to August 1989, 51 knees with clinically suspected meniscus injuries were examined by both MRI and arthroscopy and compared their findings prospectively on the basis of arthroscopic findings to determine the accuracy of MRI in detecting meniscus injury of the knee. We used 2.0 tesla superconducting magnet imager(Spectro-20000, GoldStar, Korea) to obtain MR imaging. Our protocol for imaging was producing Tl sagittal images by spinecho technique and T2 coronal images by gradient echo technique, interleaved at 4mm continuously while the patient's knee was in 8-10 degrees of external rotation and surface coil was placed posteriorly to the knee in supine position. We grouped and correlated the findings of MRI with the arthroscopic findings. With this noninvasive MRI, we could obtain multiplanar, high quality images without compliations. Compared with the arthroscopic findings, MRI resulted in a high diagnostic accuracy of 96 and 86 percent for the medial and lateral meniscus, respectively. And it aided in optimal surgical planning for the clinically suspected meniscus injuries.