Diagnostic Accuracy of MRI in Knee Meniscus Tear and ACL Injury

Abstract

Objective: Knee injuries are very common and may lead to other secondary injuries if effective treatment is lacking. In addition to standardized physical examination, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is sometimes considered an aid in the diagnosis of knee trauma. In order to have a more accurate diagnosis of knee injuries, we compared MRI with arthroscopic findings in this study to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of MRI for meniscal tears and anterior cruciate ligament injuries of the knee.

Methods: One hundred and ten patients with suspected meniscal tears and anterior cruciate ligament injuries of the knee who were admitted to our hospital from June 2020 to June 2022 were selected as study subjects, and the clinical data of the patients were retrospectively analyzed. All patients underwent MRI for preoperative diagnosis, and the sensitivity, specificity, MRI findings, and confirmation of diagnosis were compared and analyzed, and the accuracy of MRI in diagnosing meniscal tears and ACL injuries of the knee was analyzed.

Results: The mean ACL angle was (98.0 ± 5.4) in the MRI group and (118.0 ± 6.8) in the arthroscopic group, the difference between the two groups was statistically significant P < .05. The mean L/H value of the ACL was (2.12 ± 0.38) in the MRI group and (1.81 ± 0.19) in the arthroscopic group, which was statistically different between the two groups (P < .05). Among the patients, 68 meniscal injuries were found in the MRI examination, including 45 cases of knee meniscal tears and 23 cases of anterior cruciate ligament injuries. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, agreement rate, kappa value, and Youden index of MRI in diagnosing meniscal tears and ACL injuries were all high.

Conclusions: In terms of sensitivity and accuracy, MRI is an excellent imaging technique for the diagnosis of meniscal tears and anterior cruciate ligament injuries of the knee.