Case 39 - 18 year old male with lateral joint line pain in the right knee
18 year old male with lateral joint line pain in the right knee.
- Not that on the sagittal proton density images the anterior horn of the lateral meniscus appears truncated and small. On the coronal proton density images we can clearly see a vertical-oriented meniscal tear. The axial proton density images further clarify the diagnosis, a radial tear in the anterior horn of the lateral meniscus.
- The patient also has a small joint effusion, as well as a small fluid collection underlying the MCL fibers; this may represent a small bursa or an MCL sprain. The MCL fibers appear intact and normal in signal intensity.
This location is a bit unusual for a radial meniscal tear; they occur much more commonly in the posterior horn. This should prompt a close inspection for additional pathology. While it's not readily apparent on the coronal images, the lateral meniscus has discoid morphology. Count the number of sagittal slices on which we can see the body of the lateral meniscus: five! Discoid menisci most commonly occur in the lateral meniscus of young women and can predispose to tears, such as this one.
Accession: CL0093
Study description: MR Knee Right