TITLE:
Is Ultrasound Effective in Diagnosing Internal Derangements of the Knee?
AUTHORS:
S. K. Venkatesh Gupta, Sugnanam Sirish Aditya
KEYWORDS:
Knee; Menisci; MRI; Ultrasound; ACL; PCL; Arthroscopy
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Orthopedics,
Vol.3 No.8,
December
27,
2013
ABSTRACT: Internal
derangement of knee significantly affects daily activities of patients and
management of such cases with accurate diagnosis and early treatment is of
utmost importance. This study determines the benefits of arthroscopy directly
and also compares the sensitivity and specificity of ultrasound, MRI and
arthroscopic findings in diagnosing internal derangements of the knee. This is
a prospective study of 50 cases that includes patients having knee pain and
instability of joint for more than 6 weeks, symptoms of locking of knee joint
or effusion and having no bony injury as confirmed by X ray. Results were
analysed and sensitivity and specificity were calculated. The present study
supports that the clinical diagnosis is of primary necessity, while ultrasound
and MRI are additional diagnostic tools in diagnosing IDK. Arthroscopy combines more accurate diagnosing tool
and therapeutic modality, which is a more convenient, economical and convincing technique to both
surgeon and patient alike. Although ultrasound is less accurate than MRI, it is
cost effective and available at most of the peripheral centres. So it is better
to do ultrasound rather than MRI for diagnosing IDK in peripheral centres and
refer to specialty clinics or tertiary centres for further diagnosis and
treatment.