Diagnostic Value of Weight Bearing CT for Detecting Meniscal Tears

This observational study will compare the clinical value of weight-bearing CT arthrography (WBCTa) with that for MRI in evaluating meniscal and cartilage lesions of the knee joint. The MRI Osteoarthritis Knee Score (MOAKS) and modified MOAKS for WBCTa will be used to compare findings between MRI and WBCTa of the knee while comparing with surgical measurements using the ICRS scoring system. The study hypothesis is that meniscal and cartilage lesions may be missed by non-weight-bearing MRI, but detected by WBCTa.

Study Objectives: Aim 1 Establish the accuracy of WBCTa and MRI for diagnosing knee cartilage and meniscal lesions in both surgical and non-surgical participants. Hypothesis 1: Pre-operative cartilage and meniscal scoring on WBCTa is more accurate than MRI, in comparison with arthroscopic assessment. Aim 2 Establish the accuracy of WBCTa for detecting persistent and recurrent meniscal root and radial tears not detected by MRI 6 months after meniscal repair (defined by diastasis of the repair or meniscal extrusion ≥3mm). Hypothesis 2: Six months following meniscal repair, WBCTa detects persistent and recurrent meniscal root and radial re-tears not detected by MRI. Study Type and Design: This cross-sectional, observational study will compare WBCTa with MRI to evaluate rate of detection of meniscal and cartilage lesions. The inter-rater reliability of WBCTa readings also will be assessed.