Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 Nov;26(6):483-489.
doi: 10.1097/JSM.0000000000000283.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Asymptomatic Knees in Collegiate Basketball Players: The Effect of One Season of Play

George P Pappas  1 , Melissa A Vogelsong, Ernesto Staroswiecki, Garry E Gold, Marc R Safran
Affiliations

Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Asymptomatic Knees in Collegiate Basketball Players: The Effect of One Season of Play

George P Pappas et al. Clin J Sport Med. 2016 Nov.

Abstract

Objective: To determine the prevalence of abnormal structural findings using 3.0-T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the asymptomatic knees of male and female collegiate basketball players before and after a season of high-intensity basketball.

Design: Institutional review board-approved prospective case series.

Participants: Asymptomatic knees of 24 NCAA Division I collegiate basketball players (12 male, 12 female) were imaged using a 3.0-T MRI scanner before and after the end of the competitive season. Three subjects did not undergo scanning after the season.

Main outcome measures: Images were evaluated for prepatellar bursitis, fat pad edema, patellar and quadriceps tendinopathy, bone marrow edema, and articular cartilage and meniscal injury.

Results: Every knee imaged had at least 1 structural abnormality both preseason and postseason. A high preseason and postseason prevalence of fat pad edema (75% and 81%), patellar tendinopathy (83% and 90%), and quadriceps tendinopathy (75% and 90%) was seen. Intrameniscal signal change was observed in 50% preseason knees and 62% of postseason knees, but no discrete tears were found. Bone marrow edema was seen in 75% and 86% of knees in the preseason and postseason, respectively. Cartilage findings were observed in 71% and 81% of knees in the preseason and postseason, respectively. The cartilage injury score increased significantly in the postseason compared with the preseason (P = 0.0009).

Conclusions: A high prevalence of abnormal knee MRI findings was observed in a population of asymptomatic young elite athletes. These preliminary data suggest that high-intensity basketball may have potentially deleterious effects on articular cartilage.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Sagittal proton density images of the lateral compartment in a 21-year-old female obtained during the pre-season (A) and post-season (B). Pre-season image (A) reveals grade 1 and 2 changes of the posterior lateral femoral condyle (white arrow). Post-season image (B) reveals full-thickness (grade 4) lesion anterior to the previous cartilage changes with subjacent bone marrow edema.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Pre-season images demonstrating cartilage findings. (A) sagittal T2-weighted image that demonstrates signal heterogeneity within the cartilage of the lateral facet of the patella, representing a modified Noyes score of 1. Also note coexistent pre-patellar bursitis (asterisk). (B) Axial proton density (PD) image in the same subject also demonstrating increased signal (modified Noyes 1) within the cartilage of the lateral facet of the patella. (C) Axial PD image of another subject with a partial thickness cartilage defect (< 50%) of the central patella, representing a modified Noyes score of 2. (D) Axial PD image of a subject with a partial thickness defect (> 50%) of the patellar cartilage, representing a modified Noyes score of 3.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Comparison of mean scores for the 21 subjects with both pre- and post-season scans. Modified-Noyes cartilage scores were summed in the patellofemoral compartment (= Noyes PF) and over all 3 compartments (patellofemoral + tibiofemoral = Noyes Sum). The asterisk (*) indicates a statistically-significant increase in Noyes Sum from the pre- to post-season. PPB = pre-patellar bursitis, FPE = fat pad edema, PT = patellar tendinopathy, QT = quadriceps tendinopathy, BME = bone marrow edema.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Sagittal proton images of the medial compartment in a female player obtained during the pre-season (A) and post-season (B). Pre-season image (A) revealed grade 1 intra-substance signal in the posterior horn of the medial meniscus, which increased to a grade 2 linear signal in the post-season scan (B).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

References

    1. Bredella MA, Tirman PF, Peterfy CG, et al. Accuracy of T2-weighted fast spin-echo MR imaging with fat saturation in detecting cartilage defects in the knee: comparison with arthroscopy in 130 patients. Am J Roentgenol. 1999;172(4):1073–80. - PubMed
    1. Potter HG, Linklater JM, Allen AA, et al. Magnetic resonance imaging of articular cartilage in the knee: an evaluation with use of fast spin-echo imaging. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 1998;80(9):1276–84. - PubMed
    1. Kelly MA, Flock TJ, Kimmel JA, et al. MR imaging of the knee: clarification of its role. Arthroscopy. 1991;7(1):78–85. - PubMed
    1. Magee T, Williams D. 3.0-T MRI of meniscal tears. Am J Roentgenol. 2006;187(2):371–5. - PubMed
    1. Ramnath RR, Magee T, Wasudev N, et al. Accuracy of 3-T MRI using fast spin-echo technique to detect meniscal tears of the knee. Am J Roentgenol. 2006;187(1):221–5. - PubMed