Abstract

There is increasing evidence on the prevalence of meniscal injuries in patients suffering from osteoarthritis. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is important in confirming the diagnosis of such tears in these patients. Materials and methods: This was a cross-sectional study performed by the radiology department in collaboration with the department of orthopedics in a tertiary care hospital for a duration of one year. All the patients with osteoarthritis willing to give consent for MRI were included in the study. Patients with traumatic or terminal knee injuries were excluded. MRI scans of right knee was read by radiologist and orthopedic and their individual findings were noted and compared. Kellgren–Lawrence scale was used to grade the images. All the data was processed using SPSS v 22.0. Relevant statistical tests were used for comparison between groups. P value < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results : Out of 320 osteoarthritic subjects, 61% were females. Among the participants, 86.25% suffered from meniscal injuries. The most common location of tear was medial meniscus (67.86%) and the most common type of tear was complex tear (38%). The most common site was posterior horn of the meniscus (66%). The incidence of meniscal tear significantly increased with increasing age (54% in 60 years or older, P<0.001). The prevalence also significantly increased with increasing severity of osteoarthritis (P < 0.001). Half of the grade 4 osteoarthritic patients had meniscal tear as compared to 10% in grade 1 patients. Body mass index significantly affected the prevalence of tear in females (P < 0.001) while it was not significant in males. Conclusion: In conclusion, prevalence of meniscal tears is much higher in osteoarthritic patients on MRI scans. It increased with increasing age and severity of osteoarthritis. Routine MRI screening of such patients will be helpful in diagnosing meniscal tears early and plan better management.

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