MRI Differential Diagnosis of Complete and Partial Tears of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament of the Knee: The Usefulness of Oblique Coronal T2-Weighted Image.
10.3348/jkrs.2002.46.4.381
- Author:
Seo Young LEE
1
;
Jae Chan SHIM
;
Ghi Jai LEE
;
Sun Woo BANG
;
Seok Jong RYU
;
Jeong Seok KIM
;
Ho Kyun KIM
Author Information
1. Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Inje University College of Medicine.
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Knee, injuries;
Knee, ligaments;
Knee, MR
- MeSH:
Anterior Cruciate Ligament*;
Arthroscopy;
Axis, Cervical Vertebra;
Diagnosis, Differential*;
Humans;
Knee*;
Ligaments;
Magnetic Resonance Imaging*;
Prevalence;
Retrospective Studies
- From:Journal of the Korean Radiological Society
2002;46(4):381-385
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
PURPOSE: To assess the usefulness of T2-weighted oblique coronal MR imaging (T2OCI) in the differential diagnosis of complete and partial tears of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) of the knee. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-three patients with ACL tear (16 complete and 17 partial tears), comfirmed by arthroscopy, were included in this study. Conventional MR imaging and T2OCI were performed, and the findings were retrospectively reviewed by two radiologists in terms of continuity, shape, axis and internal signal intensity of the ligament. Each finding was tested if there were stastistically significant differences in its prevalence between partial and complete tears. The diagnostic accuracy of T2OCI and conventional MR imaging in the detection of partial and complete tears of the ACL were compared. RESULTS: Conventional MR imaging revealed no statistically significant finding for differential diagnosis of complete and partial ACL tears. The reliable and statistically significant (p<0.001) findings of T2OCI were complete discontinuity of the ligament in cases involving complete ACL tears (14 of 16 complete tears and 2 of 17 partial tears) and the preservation of the band form for partial ACL tears (2 of 16 complete tears and 15 of 17 partial tears). The accuracy of T2OCI and conventional MR imaging was 88% and 70%, respectively. CONCLUSION: When ACL injury is vague on conventional MR images, a modality which is more useful in the differential diagnosis of partial and complete tears of the ACL, and in predicting the site of a tear, is T2-weighted oblique coronal imaging.
