Value of Fat-Suppressed Proton-Density-Weighted Turbo Spin-Echo Sequences in Detecting Meniscal Lesions: Comparison with Arthroscopy

Purpose: To evaluate fat-suppressed (FS) proton-density-weighted (PDw) turbo spin-echo (TSE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) compared to arthroscopy in the detection of meniscal lesions.Material and Methods: In a prospective study, 31 knee joints were imaged on a 1.5T MR scanner before arthroscopy using the following sequences: (a) coronal and sagittal FS-PDw TSE (TR/TE: 4009/15 ms); (b) coronal T1w SE (TR/TE: 722/20 ms), and sagittal PDw TSE (TR/TE: 3800/15 ms). Other imaging parameters were: slice thickness 3 mm, FOV 160 mm, matrix 256×256. A total of 186 meniscal regions (62 menisci; anterior horn, body, posterior horn) were evaluated. Standard of reference was arthroscopy. Sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value (npv), positive predictive value (ppv), and accuracy were calculated.Results: Arthroscopically, meniscal lesions were detected in 55/186 segments (35 medial and 20 lateral meniscal lesions). Sensitivity, specificity, npv, ppv, and accuracy for combination of coronal and sagittal F...