Evaluating the compatibility between magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and arthroscopy in diagnosis of anterior cruciate ligament injury

Introduction: This research aims to evaluate the compatibility between magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and arthroscopy in diagnosis of types and locations of anterior cruciate ligament tear (ACL). Patients and methods: We report 75 case series undergoing arthroscopy with imaging of ACL tear on MRI, then investigated the compatibility between MRI and arthroscopy. Kappa index for MRI-arthroscopy compatibility is then calculated. Results: MRI findings indicated 68% of cases are complete tears and 32% of cases are partial tears whereas the proportions of these types in arthroscopy are 73,3% and 26,7% respectively. By calculating the match between MRI and arthroscopy using Kappa index, this fit was good (Kappa = 0,62). According to the location of ACL tears on MRI, cases with proximal tear account for 54,7%, medial tear and distal tear account for 29,3% and 16%. Meanwhile, the percentage of these locations in arthroscopy are 60%, 25,3% and 14,7% respectively. The probability of identifying injury using MRI was high, with Kappa index for MRI-arthroscopy compatibility at 0,84. Conclusion: MRI evaluations demonstrated high accuracy in the diagnosis of ACL injuries in the comparison with arthroscopy. Keywords: Knee joint, ACL tear, arthroscopy, MRI.