title: Minute amounts of intraarticular gas mimicking torn discoid lateral menisci.
abstract: Presented are two cases of minute amounts of vacuum phenomena within the central portion of the lateral compartments of two knee joints, mimicking torn discoid lateral menisci. In each case, only the gradient echo images were able to correctly characterize the minute quantities of intraarticular gas by demonstrating "blooming" magnetic susceptibility artifact. The signal characteristics of the intraarticular gas were identical to those of fibrocartilage on all of the remaining routine, fast spin echo, "sports protocol" magnetic resonance imaging sequences.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-2675, USA. martin.jordanov@vanderbilt.edu
authors.forename: Martin I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Jordanov
authors.forename: John J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Block
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000473:pathology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D005740:Gases / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D007718:Knee Injuries / Q000473:pathology; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000473:pathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008592:Menisci, Tibial / Q000473:pathology; D000070600:Tibial Meniscus Injuries
chemical_list: D005740:Gases