MRI is specific, but not sensitive in the diagnosis of the cartilage lesions:
Arthoscopy: 23: 312-315
Figueroa D et al, an orthopaedic team from Chili, studied 190 consecutive knees prospectively with MR correlation for the demonstration of chondral lesions.
These are the results:
1. Most of the chondral lesions are single (72%)
2. The most common site is medial femoral condyle (32%), followed by medial patella (22%).
3. The most common type of chondral lesion was ICRS (International Cartilage Repair Society) type 2 or 3A
4. Sensitivity of MRI 45% and specificity 100%
Sites of cartilage defects:
The Knee Volume 14, Issue 3, June 2007, Pages 177-182
W. Widuchowski W et al studied 25,124 knee arthroscopies and published in It is a retrospective study from 1989 to 2004.
Results:
1. Chondral lesions were common and found in 60%: focal osteochondral or chondral lesion in 67%, osteoarthritis in 29%, osteochondritis dissecans in 2% and others in 1%.
2. Non-isolated cartilage lesions were found in 70% and isolated lesions in 30%.
3. The common sites were patellar articular surface (36%) and medial femoral condyle (34%)
4. The most common type was Grade II (Outerbridge classification) (42%)
5. The most common associated articular lesions were medial meniscus tear (37%) and ACL injury(36%).
