One study reveals that arthroscopy is more accurate than MRI for chondral knee defects

According to researchers at the Rothman Institute in La Jolla, California, the use of arthroscopy to treat a lesion in the chondral region of the knee is more accurate than magnetic resonance imaging.

Chondral knee injuries are a common source of pain in athletes, but one of the main methods of diagnosing and staging these injuries, MRI, has a specificity of 73% and a sensitivity of 42%. %. The use of arthroscopy to determine the degree of injury is a more accurate way of evaluating the knee before surgery.

Physicians examined 98 patients with autologous chondrocyte implantation, osteochondral allograft graft, and meniscus allograft graft.

Based on our review, a treatment plan was modified in 47% of cases in which staging arthroscopy was used to evaluate articular cartilage surfaces. "

Principal Investigator, Dr. Hytham S. Salem of the Rothman Institute

Arthroscopy is performed after a standard sterile skin preparation and involves injecting a local anesthetic subcutaneously at the portal sites and at the knee joint. It is often done in the office while patients are awake and alert.

"The results of our study indicate that staging arthroscopy is an important step in determining the most appropriate treatment plan for chondral defects before OCA, ACI, and MAT," Salem said. "Treating all knee pathologies can be important for the success of cartilage restoration surgery, and treatment plans may change depending on the extent and location of the cartilage lesions."