Evaluation of meniscal injury on magnetic resonance imaging and knee arthroscopy in patient with anterior cruciate ligament tear

Introduction: Meniscal injuries often occur in association with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Failure to detect meniscal tears in patients with ACL injuries can lead to more complex tears and make them more difficult to repair. Objective: To determine the degree of correlation between magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and knee arthroscopy in diagnosing meniscal injuries in patients with ACL tears. Methods: A prospective descriptive study was conducted on 185 patients diagnosed with ACL tears through knee arthroscopy at Thong Nhat Hospital from April 2023 to April 2024. Results: The accuracy of MRI and its correlation with arthroscopy in detecting meniscal injuries is 69.2%, indicating a low degree of agreement between MRI and arthroscopy results. Diagnosis of meniscal injury location has an accuracy of 57.1%, indicating a minimal to low degree of agreement between MRI and arthroscopy results. Diagnosis of the injury region: Accuracy over 85%, with Kappa coefficients ranging from 0.3 to 0.59, p < 0.001. Diagnosis of the morphology of meniscal injuries: Accuracy over 89%, with Kappa coefficients ranging from 0.26 to 0.66, p < 0.001. Conclusion: There is a minimal to moderate correlation between MRI and arthroscopy in detecting, and diagnosing the location, region, and morphology of meniscal injuries in patients with ACL tears. Therefore, caution is advised when diagnosing meniscal injuries based solely on MRI findings in patients with ACL tears.