Pitfalls in MR imaging of the knee

Discrepancies between the findings of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and those of arthroscopy were reviewed retrospectively in 52 knee examinations. Some of the discrepancies between MR imaging and arthroscopy were caused by errors in interpretation of MR images due to normal structures that mimick...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inRadiology Vol. 167; no. 3; p. 775
Main Authors Herman, L J, Beltran, J
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.06.1988
Subjects
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Arteries - pathology
Arthroscopy
Child
Diagnostic Errors
Female
Humans
Knee Joint - blood supply
Knee Joint - pathology
Ligaments, Articular - pathology
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Menisci, Tibial - pathology
Middle Aged
Retrospective Studies
Tendons - pathology
Tibial Meniscus Injuries
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Summary:Discrepancies between the findings of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and those of arthroscopy were reviewed retrospectively in 52 knee examinations. Some of the discrepancies between MR imaging and arthroscopy were caused by errors in interpretation of MR images due to normal structures that mimicked meniscal tears. The transverse ligament and the lateral inferior genicular artery can produce the appearance of tears in the anterior horns of the medial and lateral menisci, respectively. The popliteus tendon may be mistaken for a tear in the posterior horn of the lateral meniscus. The normal concavity at the outer edge of the meniscus can create a volume-averaging artifact, which mimics a horizontal tear in the meniscus. Tears of the meniscus and separations of the meniscus from the joint capsule were not seen or were underestimated when the tears were oriented parallel to the plane of the image. An awareness of these pitfalls may improve the accuracy of the interpretation of MR images of the knee.
ISSN:0033-8419
DOI:10.1148/radiology.167.3.3363139