title: Evaluation of the menisci of the knee joint using three-dimensional isotropic resolution fast spin-echo imaging: diagnostic performance in 250 patients with surgical correlation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the diagnostic performance of FSE-Cube, a three-dimensional isotropic resolution intermediate-weighted fast spin-echo sequence, with a routine magnetic resonance (MR) protocol at 3.0 T for detecting surgically confirmed meniscal tears of the knee joint in a large patient population.
  
  
  METHODS
  FSE-Cube was added to a routine MR protocol performed at 3.0 T on 250 patients who underwent subsequent knee arthroscopy. Three radiologists independently used FSE-Cube during one review and the routine MR protocol during a second review to detect medial and lateral meniscal tears. Using arthroscopy as the reference standard, the sensitivity and specificity of FSE-Cube and the routine MR protocol for detecting meniscal tears were determined for all readers combined. McNemar's tests were used to compare diagnostic performance between FSE-Cube and the routine MR protocol.
  
  
  RESULTS
  FSE-Cube and the routine MR protocol had similar sensitivity (95.5%/95.3% respectively, P = 0.94) and similar specificity (69.8%/74.0% respectively, P = 0.10) for detecting 156 medial meniscal tears. FSE-Cube had significantly lower sensitivity than the routine MR protocol (79.4%/85.0% respectively, P < 0.05) but similar specificity (83.9%/82.2% respectively, P = 0.37) for detecting 89 lateral mensical tears. For lateral meniscal tears, FSE-Cube had significantly lower sensitivity (P < 0.05) than the routine MR protocol for detecting 19 root tears but similar sensitivity (P = 0.17-1.00) for detecting all other tear locations and types.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  FSE-Cube had diagnostic performance similar to a routine MR protocol for detecting meniscal tears except for a significantly lower sensitivity for detecting lateral meniscal tears, which was mainly attributed to decreased ability to identify lateral meniscus root tears.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Clinical Science Center- E3/311, 600 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI 53792-3252, USA. rkijowski@uwhealth.org
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kijowski
authors.forename: Kirkland W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: Donna G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Blankenbaker
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Woods
authors.forename: Alejandro Munoz
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Del Rio
authors.forename: Arthur A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: De Smet
mesh_terms: D016880:Anisotropy; D005260:Female; D050724:Fractures, Cartilage / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008592:Menisci, Tibial / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D011859:Radiography; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013113:Spin Labels; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D000070600:Tibial Meniscus Injuries
chemical_list: D013113:Spin Labels