Evaluation of medial meniscus tears and meniscal stability: weight-bearing MRI vs arthroscopy

To assess the role of dedicated low-field standard and weight-bearing MRI in the evaluation of stable or unstable tears of medial meniscus in comparison with arthroscopy. Our series included 1750 knee MRI scans performed with a high-field MRI scanner from July 2010 to August 2011. We retrospectively reviewed and analyzed 20 MRI exams of normal knee and 57 MRI exams of knee with clinical evidence of tears of the medial meniscus. In the same session, after conventional 1.5T and "dedicated" 0.25T supine MRI exam, the patients underwent weight-bearing examination with the same dedicated MRI unit. In all cases sagittal and coronal PD-W were used. All patients underwent arthroscopy 18-25 days after the weight-bearing MRI. In the first group, no statistically significant anatomical modifications of shape, intensity and position of the medial meniscus between standard 1.5T, dedicated supine and upright MRI were observed. In group A, the images acquired in the supine position (dedicated and 1.5T MRI) documented in 21 cases a traumatic tear (group 2A) and in 36 cases a degenerative tear (group 2B). In group 2A, weight-bearing MRI showed presence of unstable tear a degenerative unstable meniscal tear only in 19 out of 36 cases. In group 2B, weight-bearing MRI showed only in 9 out 21 cases. Arthroscopy confirmed weight-bearing MRI diagnosis in all cases. This new approach to meniscus pathology gives an important contribution to a better management of a diagnostic-therapeutic approach in which standard MRI has not played a key role, so far.