Interpretation of the Common MRI Findings in Patients with Painful Knee Joint

Abstract

Nowadays knee joint pain is a major public health issue and for an appropriate treatment option, it is important to have a clear understanding of the cause of pain as well as to identify the exact location of the pain. In the initial evaluation of acute knee pain, radiological findings help physicians in taking decisions regarding appropriate treatment. Besides conventional radiography and computed tomography (CT), Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is often used to diagnose the reason for knee problems. This study it is tried to evaluate the common MRI findings in patients with painful knee joints. The sample population comprised 77 outpatients had an age range between 14 to 66 years, representing male 70.13% and Female 29.87%. The study shows that the maximum numbers of patients were in the 26-30 years age group, which exposed that young people are more affected with knee pain. In this study, it is found that joint effusion is the most common pathology frequently found in 59.74% of patients followed by meniscus injury 53.24%, anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear 36.06%, Lateral meniscus injury 16.88%, Posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) tear 7.8%, Bone marrow contusion 22.07%, Osteoarthritis12.98%, Medial collateral ligament (MCL) injury 3.89%, Lateral collateral Ligament (LCL) 0%, Fracture 6.49%, Chondromalacia1.3%, Baker cyst 1.3%. Though knee pain can be diagnosed by other imaging modalities, MRI can often provide strong evidence to support one.