The Efficacy of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in The Determination Of Meniscus Tears in Patients With Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tears

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to determine the accuracy of MRI in meniscus and cruciate ligament(CL) pathologies.Another aim of the study was to determine the accuracy of MRI in the determination of meniscus tears in cases with and without ACL tear.
METHODS: The study included 96 patients who were applied for meniscus and/or CL injury and examined by MRI between 2015-2018.The meniscus and CL were examined by MRI for findings of tears.The arthroscopy results were accepted as the gold standard and compared with the MRI results.The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, accuracy of MRI were calculated in the determination of meniscus and CL tears.The patients were also separated into 2 groups as those with ACL tear and without ACL tear. MRI accuracy in meniscus tear was compared between the 2 groups.
RESULTS: The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV and accuracy rates of MRI in the evaluation of the medial meniscus tears were 93.5%, 88.8%, 97.3%, 76.1% and 92.7% respectively.These values were 64.8%, 94.9%, 88.8%, 81.1% and 83.3% for the lateral meniscus(LM), 55.5%, 81.6%, 64.5%, 75.3% and 71.8% for ACL and 100%, 98.9%, 66.6%, 100% and 98.9% for posterior cruciate ligament.In the determination of LM tears, the specificity of MRI was significantly lower in the group with ACL tear (p=0.021).No statistically significant difference was determined in respect of the other values.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: MRI has lower accuracy rates for ACL tear than for the meniscus.No significant difference was found in the accuracy of the MRI of meniscus tears between the groups with and without ACL tear.