Abstract
The aim of this respective study was to assess the graft signal/noise quotient (SNQ) value and associated factors based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) after lateral meniscal allograft transplantation (LMAT). Patients with LMAT were included. The SNQ, width of the anterior horn (WAH), width of the midbody (WMB), width of the posterior horn (WPH) of each lateral meniscus, coronal graft extrusion (CGE), the anterior cartilage meniscus distance (ACMD) and the posterior cartilage meniscus distance (PCMD) were measured using MRI and tested by multivariate stepwise regression analysis. The relative percentage of extrusion (PRE) was calculated. Seventy-one male patients were examined, and 7 patients were lost to follow-up. The SNQ of the meniscus increased from immediately after surgery to 6 months postoperatively, decreased from 6 to 12 months, increased from 12 to 24 months, and increased from 24 to 36 months. The mean SNQ had a significant negative association with the WPH and CGE at 6 months (p < 0.05), the WPH at 1 year (p < 0.05), the PRE of CGE (CPRE) at 2 years (p < 0.05), and the PCMD, CPRE, and PRE of the PCMD (PPRE) at 3 years (p < 0.01) postoperatively. Multivariate stepwise regression analysis showed that the WPH at 6 months, WPH at 1 year, WMD and PCMD at 2 years, and WMD, ACMD and CGE at 3 years were significant independent factors correlated with the mean SNQ of grafts in different periods. Maturation of meniscal grafts fluctuated with time. The maturation process occupied the main role before 1 year postoperatively, but after the maturation process, tearing of the meniscal allograft played the leading role. Changes in an allograft’s location had an obvious association with the SNQ. The WPH influenced the graft SNQ value at 6 months and 1 year postoperatively, but after the maturation process, the WMB and graft extrusion played the same roles.
Highlights
The aim of this respective study was to assess the graft signal/noise quotient (SNQ) value and associated factors based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) after lateral meniscal allograft transplantation (LMAT)
The SNQ represents graft maturity based on MRI images[19]: High graft signal intensity corresponds to a high SNQ value and signifies inferior graft m aturity[20]
The mean absolute meniscal extrusion values at 6 weeks, 1 year, and the final follow-up were 2.90 ± 0.94, 2.85 ± 0.97, and 2.83 ± 0.89 mm, respectively, and the mean percentage of extrusion (PRE) were 27.0% ± 9.4%, 27.1% ± 10.1%, and 27.8% ± 9.7%, respectively. These findings suggest that extrusion of a meniscal allograft in either the coronal or sagittal plane does not progress after LMAT, which differs from our results
Summary
The aim of this respective study was to assess the graft signal/noise quotient (SNQ) value and associated factors based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) after lateral meniscal allograft transplantation (LMAT). Multivariate stepwise regression analysis showed that the WPH at 6 months, WPH at 1 year, WMD and PCMD at 2 years, and WMD, ACMD and CGE at 3 years were significant independent factors correlated with the mean SNQ of grafts in different periods. The WPH influenced the graft SNQ value at 6 months and 1 year postoperatively, but after the maturation process, the WMB and graft extrusion played the same roles. Potential risk factors influencing the failure incidence of MAT, including graft placement, shrinkage, extrusion, and degeneration of adjacent articular cartilage, have been investigated[7,8,9,10,11]. Little is known about the correlations of these factors with the maturity of transplanted meniscal allografts[6]
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