Quantitative evaluation of postoperative status after meniscal repair using synthetic magnetic resonance imaging

Surgical treatment is the primary modality for meniscal tears, and assessment of recovery after meniscal surgery is important in the development of a patient's treatment plan. Synthetic MRI (SyMRI) can simultaneously provide an objective assessment of meniscal changes and contrast-weighted images for subjective evaluation. This study aimed to assess whether SyMRI, utilizing both qualitative and quantitative mapping, could accurately evaluate postoperative recovery status, using Lysholm scores as a reference.

From July to November 2022, 49 patients undergoing arthroscopic meniscus tear repair were enrolled. Each underwent conventional MRI and sagittal SyMRI on a 3.0 T scanner preoperatively, and at 6 and 12 months postoperatively. All patients completed the Lysholm form before MRI. Twenty-seven patients completed all MRI sessions. Meniscal T1 and T2 relaxation times, as well as proton density (PD) values, were measured. One-way ANOVA assessed changes over time, while Pearson and Spearman correlation analyses evaluated associations with Lysholm scores and Stoller grades, respectively.

Only T2 relaxation times demonstrated significant differences across time points (P < 0.001). T2 relaxation times negatively correlated with Lysholm scores (r = - 0.772, P < 0.001), while T1 relaxation times and PD values showed no significant correlations. Stoller grade also showed a significant negative correlation with Lysholm scores (r = - 0.409, P < 0.001).

SyMRI-derived T2 relaxation time may serve as a quantitative biomarker for assessing postoperative meniscal healing. By enabling the acquisition of multiple MRI parameters in a single, time-efficient scan, SyMRI offers a noninvasive and practical tool for evaluating postoperative meniscal status and guiding clinical decision-making.