Current concepts and controversies in meniscal imaging

For diagnosing meniscal pathology, MR imaging remains the most powerful noninvasive tool available. The radiologist must pay careful attention to the technical aspects of the examination to achieve the best results. Short-TE spin-echo imaging is the mainstay for meniscal imaging, and any newly proposed techniques must be critically compared with this standard. Although the accuracy of MR imaging meets or exceeds that of clinical examination, the accuracy decreases in knees with concomitant ligament tears. In these circumstances, however, the superiority of MR imaging over physical examination is even greater, making imaging even more valuable. Meniscal imaging will not realize its full potential until the critical details that determine demonstrated noninvasively. The authors eagerly await further studies examining the MR imaging signs of meniscal tear morphology, stability, and reparability.