title: Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Asymptomatic Knees in Collegiate Basketball Players: The Effect of One Season of Play.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the prevalence of abnormal structural findings using 3.0-T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the asymptomatic knees of male and female collegiate basketball players before and after a season of high-intensity basketball.
  
  
  METHODS
  Institutional review board-approved prospective case series.
  
  
  METHODS
  Asymptomatic knees of 24 NCAA Division I collegiate basketball players (12 male, 12 female) were imaged using a 3.0-T MRI scanner before and after the end of the competitive season. Three subjects did not undergo scanning after the season.
  
  
  METHODS
  Images were evaluated for prepatellar bursitis, fat pad edema, patellar and quadriceps tendinopathy, bone marrow edema, and articular cartilage and meniscal injury.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Every knee imaged had at least 1 structural abnormality both preseason and postseason. A high preseason and postseason prevalence of fat pad edema (75% and 81%), patellar tendinopathy (83% and 90%), and quadriceps tendinopathy (75% and 90%) was seen. Intrameniscal signal change was observed in 50% preseason knees and 62% of postseason knees, but no discrete tears were found. Bone marrow edema was seen in 75% and 86% of knees in the preseason and postseason, respectively. Cartilage findings were observed in 71% and 81% of knees in the preseason and postseason, respectively. The cartilage injury score increased significantly in the postseason compared with the preseason (P = 0.0009).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A high prevalence of abnormal knee MRI findings was observed in a population of asymptomatic young elite athletes. These preliminary data suggest that high-intensity basketball may have potentially deleterious effects on articular cartilage.
authors.affiliation: *South Carolina Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center, North Charleston, SC; †Department of Anesthesiology, Stanford University, Stanford CA; ‡Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Practice, Exponent Failure Analysis Associates, Menlo Park, CA; §Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA; and ¶Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Stanford University, Standford, CA.
authors.forename: George P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Pappas
authors.forename: Melissa A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Vogelsong
authors.forename: Ernesto
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Staroswiecki
authors.forename: Garry E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Gold
authors.forename: Marc R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Safran
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D056352:Athletes / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001490:Basketball / Q000293:injuries* / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007718:Knee Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000473:pathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult