A study of the role of MRI and arthroscopy in the management of knee joint lesions

Objectives: Aim of this study is to evaluate the types and incidence of injuries in internal derangement of the knee joint by MRI and to compare with arthroscopy findings in selected cases and to assess whether MRI can be used as a primary diagnostic tool for internal derangement of the knee joint. Material and Method: This prospective study was done in the Department of Radiodiagnosis Chirayu Medical College and Hospital Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India. A total of 100 patients who were referred to the department with strong clinical suspicion of internal derangements of knee joint, underwent magnetic resonance imaging evaluation of knee followed by arthroscopy in selected cases, wherever indicated from August 2014 to July 2019. Results: Majority of patients in the current study group belonged to the age group 20-29 years (31%) with a mean age of 24.3 years. In this study, the majority of patients were males constituting 76 % of cases. The most common clinical presentation was that of pain in knee joint seen in 79% of cases. The second most common presentation was swelling seen in 54%. The most common positive clinical test was McMurray’s test for meniscal tear seen positive in 48% of cases. In the current study left knee involvement was more common than right knee, constituting 54%. Medial meniscal tears were more common than lateral meniscal tears 49 (73.2%). Conclusion: MRI is a useful non-invasive modality having high sensitivity, specificity and accuracy in the diagnosis of meniscal and cruciate ligament injuries. MRI should be done in every patient of suspected internal derangement of the knee joint, to save a patient from unnecessary arthroscop