Three-dimensional and 3-Tesla MRI morphometry of knee meniscus in normal and pathologic state

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic imaging
• Radiology
• Biomedical engineering

Background:

• Meniscus injuries are common, impacting knee function.
• Accurate morphometric analysis of menisci is crucial for diagnosis and treatment planning.
• Current MRI techniques may have limitations in characterizing meniscus tear extent.

Purpose of the Study:

• To perform morphometric analysis of intact and torn menisci using 3D MRI.
• To compare the accuracy of 2D versus 3D MRI in characterizing meniscus tears.
• To evaluate inter-observer reliability for meniscus measurements.

Main Methods:

• Utilized 3D isotropic multi-planar MRI reconstructions and 2D MRI for 133 intact and 38 torn menisci.
• Two observers measured various morphometric parameters including tibial plateau and meniscal dimensions, tear length, area, and residual area.
• Calculated intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) to assess inter-observer reliability.

Main Results:

• Excellent inter-observer reliability (ICCs 0.91-1.0) was achieved with 3D MRI, while 2D MRI showed moderate-good reliability (ICCs 0.57-0.81).
• Meniscus morphometry on 3D MRI demonstrated moderate to excellent reliability.
• Meniscus tear extent was more reliably defined using 3D MRI compared to 2D MRI.

Conclusions:

• Three-dimensional (3D) MRI provides reliable meniscus morphometry with high inter-observer agreement.
• 3D MRI offers superior characterization of meniscus tear extent compared to 2D MRI.
• Residual meniscus area can be accurately calculated using 3D MRI.