Hamza Alizai MD, Presenter: Nothing to Disclose

Wilson Lin BS, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

John A. Lynch PhD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Michael C. Nevitt PhD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Charles McCulloch, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Thomas M. Link MD, PhD, Abstract Co-Author: Research Grant, General Electric Company

The causal relationship between meniscal tears and Osteoarthritis (OA) is not clear i.e. whether meniscal tears lead to cartilage degeneration or cartilage degeneration to tearing of the meniscus. The purpose of this study was therefore to evaluate the impact of meniscal tears on adjacent, morphologically intact knee cartilage using T2 relaxation time, a sensitive biomarker for early cartilage degeneration and compare these measurements with those from healthy controls.

Sixty-nine subjects without radiographic or symptomatic evidence of OA were recruited from the Osteoarthritis Initiative. Thirty-five Subjects (26 women) with a normal medial meniscus were used as controls (mean age 61±8, BMI 27±5). Thirty-four subjects (20 women) had either a simple (non-displaced horizontal or vertical tear; n=19, mean age 61±9, BMI 28±5) or complex tear (tear with displacement/maceration; n=15, mean age 60±9, BMI 29±5) of the posterior horn of the medial meniscus. None of the 69 subjects had any morphological lesions of the medial tibio-femoral cartilage. T2-measurements were performed in the medial tibia and the medial femur compartments of all subjects. In addition, a tibial and femoral subregion adjacent to the posterior horn of the medial meniscus was segmented and T2 values were calculated in milliseconds (ms). Multiple linear regression models adjusting for age, sex, BMI and OA risk factors were used to compare mean T2 values of individuals with meniscal tears with normal controls.  

The medial tibia subregion adjacent to the meniscus had significantly higher T2 values in the tear group (35ms) compared to controls (32ms, p=0.01). When comparing individuals with simple versus complex tears, the complex tear group had significantly higher T2 values in the whole medial tibia (p=0.04) and femur compartments (p=0.02), and the tibial (p=0.03) and femoral (p=0.002) subregions adjacent to the meniscus. T2 values in the cartilage subregion adjacent to the meniscus in the tear group were significantly higher than the whole compartment T2 values in the medial tibia (p<0.0001).

Presence and severity of meniscal injuries is associated with increased cartilage degeneration as measured with T2 relaxation time, which is more pronounced in the sub-region of cartilage adjacent to the torn meniscus.

Meniscal tears may directly contribute to adjacent cartilage degeneration, which may lead to OA.

Alizai, H, Lin, W, Lynch, J, Nevitt, M, McCulloch, C, Link, T, Meniscal Tears are Associated with Adjacent Tibiofemoral Cartilage Degeneration Assessed Using 3T MRI T2 Relaxation Time.  Radiological Society of North America 2012 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, November 25 - November 30, 2012 ,Chicago IL. http://archive.rsna.org/2012/12026548.html