Sonoelastography of the knee joint

Abstract

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is generally the preferred method for assessing lesions of the knee cartilage and subchondral bone. There have been a few cartilage imaging studies using real-time elastosonography (RTE), which has increased in importance and range of use in recent years. The aim of this cadaveric study was to assess the efficacy of a new diagnostic method combining USG and RTE and also to perform intra-articular examinations together with arthroscopy. A total of 12 fresh unpaired human knees were examined. The laparoscopic ultrasound transducer was deployed using standard anteromedial and anterolateral arthroscopic portals. Iatrogenic defects were examined using mosaicplasty tools in healthy-looking areas of cartilage, and strain in those areas was measured using RTE. The median strain value of the pathological femoral cartilage region was significantly higher than that of the normal cartilage region (1.23 [0.71-2.24] vs. 0.01 [0.01-0.01], P = 0.002, respectively). Arthroscopic study of cartilage using RTE can be a guide for orthopedic surgeons and use of intra-articular probes could be universalized. Clin. Anat. 32:99-104, 2019. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Keywords: arthroscopy; cartilage; elasticity imaging techniques; knee joint.