[Meniscus ultrasound--a reliable way for diagnosis of meniscus lesions?]

Controversies exists about the value of sosgraphy in diagnosis of meniscal injuries. We therefore examined 179 knee joints. In a prospective study of 177 patients with knee problems, ultrasound was utilized to assess its values as a screening tool for meniscal tears. Prior to the arthroscopy the menisci were scanned from an independent team by using 7.5 and 10.0 MHz ultra-sound waves. 113 meniscal tears were seen at arthroscopy; 22% of these tears could not be detected by scanning (false negative results) while 10% of intact menisci showed positive echogenic structures analysed as meniscal tears. The results showed a sensitivity of 30.0% and a specificity of 85.3%. We cannot share the opinion of some autors that ultrasound is a reliable means of accurately diagnosing meniscal tears. It seems that ultrasound scanning of the menisci is still a experimental method without any clinical importance.