MRI Of Knee Joint Research Articles

Study on the correlation between shear wave elastography and MRI grading of meniscal degeneration

BackgroundShear Wave Elastography (SWE) offers quantitative insights into the hardness and elasticity characteristics of tissues. The objective of this study is to investigate the correlation between SWE of the menisci and MRI-assessed degenerative changes in the menisci, with the aim of providing novel reference source for improving non-invasive evaluation of meniscal degenerative alterations.MethodsThe participants in this study were selected from patients who underwent knee joint MRI scans at our hospital from February 2023 to February 2024. The anterior horns of both the medial and lateral menisci were evaluated using SWE technique. The differences in elastic values of meniscus among different MRI grades were compared. The correlation between elastic values and MRI grades, as well as various parameters, was analyzed. Using MRI Grade 3 as the gold standard, the optimal cutoff value for meniscal tear was determined. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was employed to evaluate the reliability of repeated measurements performed by the same observer.ResultsA total of 104 female participants were enrolled in this study, with 152 lateral menisci (LM) and 144 medial menisci (MM) assessed. For the male group, 83 individuals were included, with 147 LM and 145 MM evaluated. The results demonstrated statistically significant differences in the elasticity values of the menisci at the same anatomical sites across different MRI grades (P < 0.001). Within the same grade, the MM had higher elasticity values than the LM, showing a statistically significant difference (P < 0.001). The elasticity values of the menisci were higher in males compared to females. There were statistically significant positive correlations between the elasticity values of the menisci and age, BMI, and MRI grade. The ICC for repeated measurements within the observer demonstrated good reliability (> 0.79).ConclusionsThe meniscal elasticity values measured by SWE exhibit a significant positive correlation with the grades of degeneration assessed by MRI. Furthermore, the elasticity values of the meniscus are found to increase with advancing age and elevated BMI.

MRI of knee: high signals in STIR sequences and its relation with anterior knee pain our population.

Objective: To evaluate the significance of high signals in STIR sequences in MRI in patients presenting with non-traumatic knee pain. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Department of Radiology, Liaquat National Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan. Period: March 2023 to August 2023. Methods: The patients presented for MRI of knee joint for knee pain unrelated to trauma were analyzed. Data were collected through a proforma based on 9 questions that included demographic data and questions related to the cause of pain. The total calculated sample size was 86 patients Data was analyzed through SPSS. Descriptive statistics were calculated. Association was determined using chi-square test considering p-value ≤0.05 as significant. Results: Our study showed no statistical correlation between knee pain and high STIR signals seen in pre-patellar bursa with 90.9% showing high signals with pain, while 85.3% showed high signals without pain. In our study this signal was found in about 20-30% that were mostly female household help and carpet layers. Conclusion: There is no statistical correlation between knee pain and high STIR signals seen in pre-patellar bursa.

The Development of Artificial Intelligence in Knee Joint MRI Detection

The application of artificial intelligence in the diagnosis and analysis of knee joint MRI has significantly advanced, leveraging technologies like machine learning and deep learning to enhance both accuracy and efficiency. AI models are adept at identifying, classifying, and predicting various pathologies such as osteoarthritis and ligament tears by analyzing complex imaging data. This facilitates more accurate diagnoses by assisting radiologists. Key developments include automation of image segmentation, image resolution enhancement, and noise reduction in MRI scans. Despite these advances, integrating AI into clinical workflows, managing data variability, and ensuring extensive validation pose ongoing challenges. Nonetheless, AI's potential to transform diagnostic processes, improve patient outcomes, and reduce healthcare costs by streamlining workflows remains promising.

The efficacy and tolerability of proteoglycan F in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis: A prospective, randomized, double-blind controlled trial

ObjectiveTo identify the efficacy and tolerability of Proteoglycan F in patients with primary knee OA.Design: A 24-week randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial with two arms: (1) Proteoglycan F (received 10 ​mg proteoglycan daily, for 24 weeks) and (2) control group (received placebo). Knee symptoms and joint cartilage status (evaluated by ultrasound and MRI of knee joints), quality of life, serum cytokine levels (IL-1β and TNF-α), and safety evaluation were measured before, during, and after the treatment. ResultsAfter 24-week treatment, pain reduction (in the KOOS pain score) of at least 20% and at least 50% (NRS scale) compared to baseline in the PGF group was significantly higher than those in the control group. The PGF group had greater reductions in the total scores of subchondral bone marrow edema, and bone cocoon under cartilage on knee MRI (classification according to WORMs), which were −2.27 (-4.0; −0.51) and −1.77 (-3.08; −0.46), respectively (p ​< ​0.05). The two groups had no statistically significant difference in knee ultrasound characteristics. After 4 weeks, 12, and 24 weeks compared to baseline, there was no statistically significant difference in levels of urea, creatinine, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase within the group and between the two study groups. ConclusionsSalmon cartilage PG with 10 ​mg per day has potential to improve pain symptoms and subchondral bone marrow edema and bone cocoon under cartilage lesions in primary knee OA. However, the efficacy of PGF should be viewed with caution, and future studies are needed for more specific evaluation.

Two for One-Combined Morphologic and Quantitative Knee Joint MRI Using a Versatile Turbo Spin-Echo Platform.

Quantitative MRI techniques such as T2 and T1ρ mapping are beneficial in evaluating knee joint pathologies; however, long acquisition times limit their clinical adoption. MIXTURE (Multi-Interleaved X-prepared Turbo Spin-Echo with IntUitive RElaxometry) provides a versatile turbo spin-echo (TSE) platform for simultaneous morphologic and quantitative joint imaging. Two MIXTURE sequences were designed along clinical requirements: "MIX1", combining proton density (PD)-weighted fat-saturated (FS) images and T2 mapping (acquisition time: 4:59 min), and "MIX2", combining T1-weighted images and T1ρ mapping (6:38 min). MIXTURE sequences and their reference 2D and 3D TSE counterparts were acquired from ten human cadaveric knee joints at 3.0 T. Contrast, contrast-to-noise ratios, and coefficients of variation were comparatively evaluated using parametric tests. Clinical radiologists (n = 3) assessed diagnostic quality as a function of sequence and anatomic structure using five-point Likert scales and ordinal regression, with a significance level of α = 0.01. MIX1 and MIX2 had at least equal diagnostic quality compared to reference sequences of the same image weighting. Contrast, contrast-to-noise ratios, and coefficients of variation were largely similar for the PD-weighted FS and T1-weighted images. In clinically feasible scan times, MIXTURE sequences yield morphologic, TSE-based images of diagnostic quality and quantitative parameter maps with additional insights on soft tissue composition and ultrastructure.

Source-free unsupervised adaptive segmentation for knee joint MRI

Knee osteoarthritis is a prevalent disease worldwide. The automatic segmentation of knee tissues in magnetic resonance (MR) images has important clinical utility in assessing knee osteoarthritis. Deep learning-based methods show great potential in this application, but they often require a large amount of labeled training data, which is challenging and expensive to acquire. Unsupervised domain adaptation that transfers the learned knowledge from a source labeled dataset to a target unlabeled dataset can be used to address this problem. However, in medical scenarios, domain adaption techniques are often limited by access to the source data due to concerns about patient privacy. In this work, we proposed a novel and effective source-free unsupervised domain adaptation method for knee joint multi-tissue segmentation that does not require a source dataset. The proposed framework is split into two stages. In the first stage, matching batch normalization statistics guides the first segmentation network to realize model adaptation and is combined with augmented entropy minimization to obtain pseudo segmentation labels for the target MR images. The pseudo labels generated by the first segmentation network are then refined using a voting strategy to supervise the training of the models in the second stage. In the second stage, uncertainty-aware cross pseudo supervision is used to further boost the performance of the desired segmentation network, which comprises an encoder and a primary decoder. Our experiments demonstrated that the proposed method outperforms the current state-of-the-art source-free unsupervised domain adaptation techniques for segmenting knee tissues in MR images. Our study also demonstrated that the proposed approach is effective in reverse-directional adaptation.

Comparative morphology of the cruciate ligaments: A radiological study.

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) are important structures to maintain knee stability. The present study aimed to further enrich understandings of the morphology of the cruciate ligaments and explore the relationship between the diameter of ACL and PCL. This study collected valid MRI samples of 50 male and 50 female normal right knee joints and measured the diameter of each point of the ACL and PCL through the 3D Slicer. The diameter of the ACL in the sagittal MRI of the normal right knee joint was significantly different from the diameter of each point of the PCL. The average diameter of each point of the ACL was larger than the diameter of the corresponding point of the PCL. Males and females had statistical differences in their PCL origin point, PCL midpoint, ACL origin point, ACL midpoint, and ACL insertion point diameters under sagittal MRI examination. The average diameter of males was greater than the average diameter of females at the above corresponding sites. In sagittal MRI scans of the normal right knee joint, we observed that only the origin point of the PCL exhibited a moderate correlation with the midpoint and insertion point of the ACL in terms of their respective diameters. The correlation between diameters of normal ACL and PCL in knee joint MRI was moderate and may help clinicians determine appropriate graft for cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery quickly for severe cruciate ligament injuries.

Application of femoral I.D.E.A.L localization in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with single bundle anterior cruciate ligament

To evaluate the effect of femoral I.D.E.A.L localization in single bundle anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). From January 2019 to October 2022, 122 patients with anterior cruciate ligament injury were treated with ACLR, including 83 males and 39 females. The age ranged from 23 to 43 years old, with an average of (32.19 ±8.55) years old. The course of disease ranged from 1 week to 6 months. According to the different surgical schemes, the patients were divided into two groups, namely the traditional group, which adopted the over-the-top femoral lateral positioning scheme, including 64 patients. The I.D.E.A.L group adopted the I.D.E.A.L femoral lateral positioning scheme, including 58 patients. The patient has pain and dysfunction of knee joint before operation. MRI of knee joint indicates anterior cruciate ligament injury. The visual analogue scale(VAS), International Knee Documentation Committee(IKDC) scoring system and Lysholm scoring system were used to evaluate the knee joint function of the patient. KT-2000 was used to detect the recovery of knee joint after operation and to count the postoperative complications. The wounds healed well after operation. One hundred and twenty-tow patients were followed up for 15 to 46 months, with an average of (25.45±9.22) months. The knee joint stability of patients after operation was significantly increased. The VAS at 1 day and 1 week after operation of patients in the I.D.E.A.L group was significantly lower than that in the traditional group(P<0.05). The IKDC score and Lysholm score of patients in the I.D.E.A.L group were significantly higher than those in the traditional group(P<0.05). In the traditional group, there were 6 cases of short-term (<1 month) complications and 19 cases of long-term (≥1 month)complicatios. In the I.D.E.A.L group, there were 3 cases of short-term complications and 7cases of long-term complications(P<0.05). The single bundle anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction and femoral I.D.E.A.L positioning can achieve better early postoperative effect and reduce early postoperative pain.

PROSEDUR PEMERIKSAAN MRI KNEE JOINT DENGAN KASUS CEDERA ANTERIOR CRUCIATE LIGAMENT (ACL) DI INSTALASI RADIOLOGI RS MARDI RAHAYU KUDUS

Background: MRI examination of knee joints with Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injuries at the Radiology Installation of Mardi Rahayu Kudus Hospital using spin echo sequences, including PD_TSE, PD_TSE_fatsat, T1_SE, T2_TSE, and T2_TSE_fatsat, with the addition of STIR, and using DOT engine technology. This study aims to determine the procedures for examining knee joint MRI with cases of ACL injury, as well as the role of the DOT machine in the examination.Methods: This type of research is a qualitative research with a case study approach. The research subject was an MRI examination of the knee joint with ACL injury cases. Data collection is done by using the method of observation, study, and documentation. Data analysis includes data transcription, data reduction, data presentation, as well as discussing and drawing conclusions.Results: The results showed that the STIR sequence was used as a fat comparison. The resulting ACL image is an isointense image. The use of DOT engine technology helps to standardize inspections. The advantages are ease of making cuts, time efficiency, and uniformity of inspection techniques, and not finding operational weaknesses.Conclusions: The conclusion of this study is MRI of the knee joint using spin echo and STIR sequences, with DOT engine method. STIR could be used in certain indications.

Research Progress of Age Estimation in the Living by Knee Joint MRI.

Bone development shows certain regularity with age. The regularity can be used to infer age and serve many fields such as justice, medicine, archaeology, etc. As a non-invasive evaluation method of the epiphyseal development stage, MRI is widely used in living age estimation. In recent years, the rapid development of machine learning has significantly improved the effectiveness and reliability of living age estimation, which is one of the main development directions of current research. This paper summarizes the analysis methods of age estimation by knee joint MRI, introduces the current research trends, and future application trend.

Correlation Analysis between Fat Fraction and Bone Mineral Density Using the DIXON Method for Fat Dominant Tissue in Knee Joint MRI: A Preliminary Study

This study aimed to investigate the correlation between the fat signal fraction (FF) of the fat-dominant bone tissue of the knee joint, measured using the MRI Dixon method (DIXON) technique, and bone mineral density (BMD). Among the patients who underwent knee DIXON imaging at our institute, we retrospectively analyzed 93 patients who also underwent dual energy X-ray absorptiometry within 1 year. The FFs of the distal femur metaphyseal (Fm) and proximal tibia metaphyseal (Tm) were calculated from the DIXON images, and the correlation between FF and BMD was analyzed. Patients were grouped based on BMD of lumbar spine (L), femoral neck (FN), and common femur (FT) respectively, and the Kruskal-Wallis H test was performed for FF. We identified a significant negative correlation between TmFF and FN-BMD in the entire patient group (r = -0.26, p < 0.05). In female patients, TmFF showed a negative correlation with FN-BMD, FT-BMD, and L-BMD (r = -0.38, 0.28 and -0.27, p < 0.05). In male patients, FmFF was negatively correlated with only FN-BMD and FT-BMD (r = -0.58 and -0.42, p < 0.05). There was a significant difference in the TmFF between female patients grouped by BMD (p < 0.05). In male patients, there was a significant difference in FmFF (p < 0.05). Overall, we found that FF and BMD around the knee joints showed a negative correlation. This suggests the potential of FF measurement using DIXON for BMD screening.

Deep-Learning-Based Contrast Synthesis From MRF Parameter Maps in the Knee Joint.

Magnetic resonance fingerprinting (MRF) is a method to speed up acquisition of quantitative MRI data. However, MRF does not usually produce contrast-weighted images that are required by radiologists, limiting reachable total scan time improvement. Contrast synthesis from MRF could significantly decrease the imaging time. To improve clinical utility of MRF by synthesizing contrast-weighted MR images from the quantitative data provided by MRF, using U-nets that were trained for the synthesis task utilizing L1- and perceptual loss functions, and their combinations. Retrospective. Knee joint MRI data from 184 subjects from Northern Finland 1986 Birth Cohort (ages 33-35, gender distribution not available). A 3 T, multislice-MRF, proton density (PD)-weighted 3D-SPACE (sampling perfection with application optimized contrasts using different flip angle evolution), fat-saturated T2-weighted 3D-space, water-excited double echo steady state (DESS). Data were divided into training, validation, test, and radiologist's assessment sets in the following way: 136 subjects to training, 3 for validation, 3 for testing, and 42 for radiologist's assessment. The synthetic and target images were evaluated using 5-point Likert scale by two musculoskeletal radiologists blinded and with quantitative error metrics. Friedman's test accompanied with post hoc Wilcoxon signed-rank test and intraclass correlation coefficient. The statistical cutoff P <0.05 adjusted by Bonferroni correction as necessary was utilized. The networks trained in the study could synthesize conventional images with high image quality (Likert scores 3-4 on a 5-point scale). Qualitatively, the best synthetic images were produced with combination of L1- and perceptual loss functions and perceptual loss alone, while L1-loss alone led to significantly poorer image quality (Likert scores below 3). The interreader and intrareader agreement were high (0.80 and 0.92, respectively) and significant. However, quantitative image quality metrics indicated best performance for the pure L1-loss. Synthesizing high-quality contrast-weighted images from MRF data using deep learning is feasible. However, more studies are needed to validate the diagnostic accuracy of these synthetic images. 4. Stage 1.

Optimal Acceleration Factor for Image Acquisition in Knee Joint MRI with SENSE Technique

Optimal Acceleration Factor for Image Acquisition in Knee Joint MRI with SENSE Technique

Detection Method of Athlete Joint Injury Based on Deep Learning Model.

The research on accurate and intelligent segmentation of knee joint MRI images is of great significance to reduce the work intensity of clinical doctors and nurses. In order to solve the problem that knee joint MRI image segmentation model needs a large number of high-quality tagged images and excessive labeling workload, a semisupervised learning segmentation network model based on 3D scSE-UNet is proposed. The model adopts a self-training semisupervised learning framework and adds a cSE-block+ module on the basis of the 3D UNet model. This module can enhance the effective features of the feature image from two aspects of space and channel, while suppressing irrelevant features and preserving image edge information more completely. In order to solve the problem of rough edge of pseudolabel caused by model segmentation, a fully connected conditional random field is added to refine the edge of pseudolabel in the process of model training. The effectiveness of the model is verified by open source MRNet dataset and OAI dataset. The results show that the proposed model can achieve the segmentation effect of fully supervised learning through a small number of labeled images and effectively reduce the dependence of knee joint MRI image segmentation on expert labeling data.

Injury Prevention Effect of MRI Imaging Technology in Physical Education and Sports Training.

In order to solve the problem of observing and analyzing the clinical value of MRI diagnosis in patients with knee sports injury and guiding clinical targeted treatment, the author proposed a sports injury prevention method in sports training teaching based on MRI image observation. This method retrospectively analyzed the imaging data of 101 patients with knee joint MRI examination due to osteoarthritis, sports injury and synovitis in joint surgery, and arthroscopic exclusion of true meniscus tear, MR multisequence and multiplane scans were performed to observe the anatomical features of TGL and MFL images and the occurrence rate of the lateral meniscus “false tear sign,” and the χ2 test was used to compare the occurrence rate of “pseudo-tear sign” between genders and sides. Experimental results show that the incidence of TGL on MRI was about 67.3% (68/101), and the incidence of “pseudo-tear sign” in the anterior horn of the lateral meniscus caused by TGL was 2.9% (2/68). The overall appearance rate of MFL on MRI was 91.1% (92/101), the appearance rate of plate anterior ligament (HL) was 13.9% (14/101), and the occurrence rate of “pseudo-tear sign” in the posterior horn of the lateral meniscus caused by HL was 7.1% (1/14). The occurrence rate of the posterior ligament (WL) was 77.2% (78/101), and the incidence of “pseudo-tear sign” in the posterior horn was 20.5% (16/78). According to the shape and course of TGL and MFL on MRI, and the direction and position of the lateral meniscus pseudotear, combined with MRI sagittal plane and coronal plane observation, it can effectively identify the true and false attributes of lateral meniscus anterior and posterior horn tears, thereby reducing unnecessary surgical treatment.

Preliminary MRI-based investigation of characteristics and prognosis of knee bone marrow edema in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis

IntroductionBone marrow edema (BME) is one of the main imaging characteristics of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) in children and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in adult. Previous studies have shown that BME occurred in approximately 64% of adults with RA and was a key predictor of poor prognosis. But BME with JIA has not been of great concern. Therefore, we evaluated the prevalence, characteristics, and prognosis of knee joint BME in children with JIA.MethodsIn this retrospective study, we included children with JIA and knee joint involvement from January 2017 to December 2019. BME was evaluated according to the Juvenile Arthritis MRI Scoring system. Clinical characteristics were compared between the BME group and the non-BME group. The characteristics and prognosis of the BME were observed.ResultsA total of 128 children with 136 knee joint MRI data were identified, with 37 knee joints (27.2%) having BME. BME has positive correlation with synovial hypertrophy (Rs = 0.562, p = 0.019). There were significant differences in age (p = 0.010) and disease duration (p = 0.013) between the BME and non-BME groups. BME was found to be more common in older children and the patients with long duration of disease. Locations with BME were the lateral tibial plateau (17/37, 45.9%), the lateral weight-bearing femur (16/37, 43.2%), the medial tibial plateau and the medial femoral condyle (both with 15/37, 40.5%), and the medial weight-bearing femur (12/37, 32.4%). The lateral femoral condyle and both the lateral and medial sides of the patella were rarely involved. Of the 15 BME joints with the MRI follow-up data (interval 6.5 ± 3.0 months), the lesions disappeared or improved within 12 months after the treatments in 13 (86.7%) joints.ConclusionsThe prevalence of knee BME in JIA was 27.2%. There was positive correlation between BME and synovial hypertrophy. Older children and children with long disease duration had a higher risk for BME, which was commonly a late presentation and more likely involved the weight-bearing surfaces of the joint. The overall prognosis was satisfactory after the standard treatments.Key Points• To the best of our knowledge, this paper is the first one to investigate the MRI manifestation in JIA focus on knee BME sign.

A semi-automatic framework based upon quantitative analysis of MR-images for classification of femur cartilage into asymptomatic, early OA, and advanced-OA groups.

To develop a semi-automatic framework for quantitative analysis of biochemical properties and thickness of femur cartilage using magnetic resonance (MR) images and evaluate its potential for femur cartilage classification into asymptomatic (AS), early osteoarthritis (OA), and advanced OA groups. In this study, knee joint MRI data (fat suppressed-proton density-weighted and multi-echo T2-weighted images) of eight AS-volunteers (data acquired twice) and 34 OA patients including 20 early OA (16 Grade-I and 4 Grade-II), 14 advanced-OA (Grade-III) were acquired at 3.0T MR scanner. Modified Outerbridge classification criteria was performed for the clinical evaluation of data by an experienced radiologist. Cartilage segmentation, T2-mapping, 2D-WearMap generation, and subregion analysis were performed semi-automatically using in-house developed algorithms. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and coefficient of variation (CV) were computed for testing the reproducibility of T2 values. One-way analysis of variance with Tukey-Kramer post hoc test was performed for evaluating the differences among the groups. The performance of individual T2 and thickness, as well as their combination using logistic regression, were evaluated with receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis. The interscan agreement based on the ICC index was 0.95 and the CV was 2.45 ± 1.33%. T2 mean of values greater than 75th percentile showed sensitivity and specificity of 94.1% and 81.3% (AUC = 0.93, cut-off value = 47.9 ms) in differentiating AS volunteers versus OA group, while sensitivity and specificity of 90.0% and 81.3% (AUC = 0.90, cut-off value = 47.9 ms) in differentiating AS volunteers versus early OA groups, respectively. In the differentiation of early OA versus advanced-OA group, ROC results of combination (T2 and thickness) showed the highest sensitivity and specificity of 85.7%, and 70.0% (AUC = 0.79, cut-off value = 0.39) compared with individual T2 and thickness features, respectively. A computer-aided quantitative evaluation of femur cartilage degeneration showed promising results and can be used to assist clinicians in diagnosing OA.

Profile of Knee MRI Morphometric Risk Factors for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tear at Dr. Soetomo General Academic Hospital

Objective: Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) tear can decrease quality of life especially in athlete. The physical athletic activities are external factors for ACL tear. There are also internal factor and one them is anatomical factor. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the knee morphometric risk factor profile for ACL tear. Materials and Methods: This is a descriptive observational retrospective study with case-control design. The study data consisted of the patient's medical records and knee joint MRI study results which were collected through consecutive sampling. Morphometric variable measurements in the form of Notch Width (NW), Notch Width Index (NWI), ? -angle, Q-angle (Quadricep angle) and Medial Tibial Posterior Slope (MTPS) were assessed by two assessors. Afterwards, the mean value of each variable was determined. Results: In ACL tear group, the mean±SD value for NW, NWI, Alpha angle, Q-angle and MTPS was 2.02±0.21, 0.27±0,02, 37.97±4.69, 11.06±3.21, and 9.24±2.73, respectively, while in non-ACL tear group the mean±SD value was 1.97±0.23, 0.29±0.02, 35.59±4.52, 12.03±4.08 and 7.70±3.53, respectively. Conclusion: The mean NWI and Q-angle values in ACL tear group were smaller than in non-ACL tear group. The mean NW, Alpha angle, and MTPS values in ACL group were greater than in non-ACL tear group.

Modified single-needle arthroscopic repair technique for the treatment of longitudinal meniscal tear

To compare therapeutic efficacy of modified single-needle arthroscopic repair technique and Fast-Fix technique in repairing longitudinal meniscus injuries. From July 2016 to July 2017, patients with longitudinal meniscus injuries who underwent meniscal repair surgery were retrospectively analyzed. Ninety-one patients treated with modified single-needle technique and 77 patients were treated with Fast-Fix technique, the average age were (26.7±7.6) and (27.9±6.1) years old respectively, the average lengths of follow-up were (32.5±9.2) and (33.2±11.9) months, respectively. Operation cost, suture time, intraoperative failure rate and postoperative failure rate were used as clinical outcomes, MRI of knee joint was used as main diagnosis and evaluation basis; 2000 IKDC subjective score, Lysholm score and Tegner activity scale were compared between two groups preoperatively, 12 months after operation and at the latest follow-up. Intraoperative and postopertaive complications were observed. Compared with Fast-Fix group, patients in modified single-needle technique group had lower operation costs [(645.7±133.1 vs.(12 184.8±4 709.8), P<0.01)], and average time per suture was shorter[(4.5±2.1) vs.(5.9±2.7), P<0.001)];and there were no significant difference in intraoperative failure rate and postoperative failure rate between two groups. There were no statistical differences in subjective function score, Lysholm score, Tegner activity knee joint at 12 months after opertaion and the latest follow-up (P>0.05);These scores between two groups at the latest followup were significantly improved compared with those of before operation(P<0.000 1). Modified single-needle arthrscopicrepair technique could achieve the similar therapeutic efficacy as Fast-Fix technique, and it has advantageds of simple opertion and more economical. This study recommends clinical application of modified single-needle arthrscopic repair technique in treating meniscus injuries.

Visualisation of meniscus from knee joint MRI and assessment of its size differences due to age, gender and BMI

Menisci play a major role in cushioning and distributing the stress due to body weight over the cartilage surface of femur and tibia. They also contribute in joint lubrication and provide stability for the joint with the support of ligaments. It is essential to quantify the size and volume of the meniscus in treatment of injured and discoid meniscus. Visualisation of menisci using MRI is helpful in understanding location of menisci tears and degradation. In this work, menisci were segmented from knee joint MRI using seeded region growing algorithm and volume rendered for 3D visualisation. The menisci are quantified using image processing method. The noninvasive method of visualisation and quantification of menisci is useful for diagnosis and surgical planning of diseased knee joints especially elderly people and sports injured. Influencing factors for size difference in menisci due to age, gender and BMI is analysed using statistical methods.