The use of MRI in the investigation of lateral meniscal tear post medial unicompartmental knee replacement

• Main Authors: Sanil H. Ajwani, MBChB, BSc (Hons), MRCS, Philip Sanville, MB BS, MRCP (UK), FRCR, Andrew Lavender, MB BS, FRCS Tr and Orth
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2015-06-01
• Series: Arthroplasty Today
• Subjects: Lateral meniscal tear; Unicompartmental replacement; Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352344115000291
• ISSN: 2352-3441

The evaluation of lateral knee pain in patients with a medial unicompartmental knee replacement (UKR) is complex. The native lateral compartment structures are prone to the same injuries as patients with normal knees. Historical reports of lateral meniscal injury post medial UKR have argued MRI evaluation is obsolete due to artefact caused by the prosthesis. We report a case of lateral meniscal injury in a patient two years after successful medial UKR. We identified the offending pathology via utilization of MRI scanners adopting metal artefact reduction sequences (MARS). The MARS MRI protocol helps clinicians accurately and non-invasively evaluate soft tissue structures in knees with metal prostheses. It also allows surgeons to accurately counsel patients and provides a higher degree of certainty in treating the pathology.