title: Imaging following acute knee trauma.
abstract: Joint injury has been recognized as a potent risk factor for the onset of osteoarthritis. The vast majority of studies using imaging technology for longitudinal assessment of patients following joint injury have focused on the injured knee joint, specifically in patients with anterior cruciate ligament injury and meniscus tears where a high risk for rapid onset of post-traumatic osteoarthritis is well known. Although there are many imaging modalities under constant development, magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is the most important instrument for longitudinal monitoring after joint injury. MR imaging is sensitive for detecting early cartilage degeneration and can evaluate other joint structures including the menisci, bone marrow, tendons, and ligaments which can be sources of pain following acute injury. In this review, focusing on imaging following acute knee trauma, several studies were identified with promising short-term results of osseous and soft tissue changes after joint injury. However, studies connecting these promising short-term results to the development of osteoarthritis were limited which is likely due to the long follow-up periods needed to document the radiographic and clinical onset of the disease. Thus, it is recommended that additional high quality longitudinal studies with extended follow-up periods be performed to further investigate the long-term consequences of the early osseous and soft tissue changes identified on MR imaging after acute knee trauma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA. Electronic address: rkijowski@uwhealth.org.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kijowski
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany; Department of Radiology, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Roemer
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund, Sweden; Clinical Epidemiology Research and Training Unit, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Englund
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Tiderius
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Swärd
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: R B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Frobell
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016118:Anterior Cruciate Ligament / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D000070598:Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000293:injuries* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007718:Knee Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008592:Menisci, Tibial / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D020370:Osteoarthritis, Knee / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D000070600:Tibial Meniscus Injuries; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Imaging; Knee; Ligament; Meniscus; Osteoarthritis; Post-traumatic