Meniscus

MR imaging is of key importance in the diagnosis of internal derangement of the knee. This chapter provides an up-to-date description of the anatomy of the meniscus and summarizes the important features of clinical assessment. It describes how MRI with an accurate radiology report is integrated with the clinical findings to determine the best management plan for the patient. It emphasizes the important of using common terminology to ensure good communication. This terminology includes accurate classification of the main three types of meniscal tears as well as some of the more complex variants. The important aspects of tear description principally the involved zones and segments are described. The common types of tears encountered, and those that cause the most diagnostic difficulty including ramp lesions, flap and root tears are described, and supported with imaging examples. Diagnostic accuracy is also improved with an appreciation of the pitfalls that can mimic meniscal tears. These include abnormal signal changes and anatomical variation that can result in false positive diagnosis of a tear.