MRI of the knees in asymptomatic adolescent soccer players: A case-control study

Abstract

Purpose: To determine the range of asymptomatic abnormal findings in adolescent soccer players at 3.0T MRI of the knee.

Materials and methods: In all, 87 knees of asymptomatic 14-17-year-old male adolescents were evaluated at 3T, using a standardized examination protocol comprising four sequences: two fat-suppressed T₂ -weighted fast spin-echo sequences (T₂ FSE), in the sagittal (repetition time / echo time [TR/TE], 5.300/71, echo train length [ETL] 17) and coronal planes (TR/TE, 4234/70, ETL 17), one fat-suppressed proton density (PD) sequence in the axial plane (TR/TE, 2.467/40, ETL 9), and one T₁ -weighted spin-echo (T₁ SE) sequence in the sagittal plane (TR/TE, 684/12.5). Soccer players (46 knees) were paired with controls (41 knees) by age and weight. Bone marrow, articular cartilage, meniscus, tendons, ligaments, fat pad abnormalities, and joint fluid were assessed.

Results: One or more abnormalities were detected in 31 knees (67.4%) in the soccer player group, compared to 20 knees (48.8%) in the control group. The prevalence of bone marrow edema was higher in the soccer group (19 knees, 41.3%) than in the control group (3 knees, 7.3%), P = 0.001. Other abnormalities found in this sample (joint effusion, cartilage lesions, tendinopathy, ganglion cysts, and infrapatellar fat pat edema) were not significantly different between the two study groups.

Conclusion: Asymptomatic adolescents had a high prevalence of abnormal findings on knee imaging, especially bone marrow edema. This prevalence was higher among soccer players.

Level of evidence: 4 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2017;45:59-65.

Keywords: MRI; adolescent; asymptomatic; knee injuries; soccer.