HOME HELP CONTACT US SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:
Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Matava, M. J. Articles by Shively, R. A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Matava, M. J. Articles by Shively, R. A. Related Collections Imaging Studies Meniscus

Magnetic Resonance Imaging as a Tool to Predict Meniscal Reparability

Matthew J. Matava, MD^,, Kevin Eck, MD, William Totty, MD, Rick W. Wright, MD and Robert A. Shively, MD

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri
Department of Radiology, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri

Presented at the interim meeting of the AOSSM, New Orlean, Louisiana, March 1998.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Matthew J. Matava, MD, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, Suite 11300, West Pavilion, One Barnes-Jewish Hospital Drive, St. Louis, MO 63110

One hundred six patients who underwent high field strength magnetic resonance imaging and subsequent arthroscopy of the knee were evaluated to determine the accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging in predicting meniscal tear reparability. Each scan was independently read by three examiners with varying degrees of expertise: a musculoskeletal radiologist, a senior orthopaedic surgeon, and a general radiologist. Each suspected tear was characterized by its morphologic type, maximum length, and minimum distance from the meniscosynovial junction. A prediction was then made of whether the tear was reparable. There were 115 meniscal tears noted in the 106 patients studied. The examiners’ ability to correctly estimate tear type was only fair, with correct estimates made only 14% to 67% of the time. The overall correlation of the three examiners to correctly predict the method of treatment was fair. The average accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of magnetic resonance imaging in predicting meniscal reparability were 74%, 29%, 89%, 50%, and 80%, respectively; for predicting meniscectomy, these values were 69%, 68%, 75%, 90%, and 43%, respectively. There were no significant differences between the three examiners in the accuracy of their treatment predictions. The results of this study suggest that magnetic resonance imaging is only moderately reliable for the prediction of meniscus reparability. In addition, the training of the reader does not appear to significantly influence the results.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				K. W. Harper, C. A. Helms, H. S. Lambert III, and L. D. Higgins Radial Meniscal Tears: Significance, Incidence, and MR Appearance Am. J. Roentgenol., December 1, 2005; 185(6): 1429 - 1434. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. R. McCauley MR Imaging Evaluation of the Postoperative Knee Radiology, January 1, 2005; 234(1): 53 - 61. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				W.-H. Jee, T. R. McCauley, J.-M. Kim, D.-J. Jun, Y.-J. Lee, B.-G. Choi, and K.-H. Choi Meniscal Tear Configurations: Categorization with MR Imaging Am. J. Roentgenol., January 1, 2003; 180(1): 93 - 97. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. C. Vande Berg, P. Poilvache, F. Duchateau, F. E. Lecouvet, J. E. Dubuc, B. Maldague, and J. Malghem Lesions of the Menisci of the Knee: Value of MR Imaging Criteria for Recognition of Unstable Lesions Am. J. Roentgenol., March 1, 2001; 176(3): 771 - 776. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]