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Meniscus

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MRI of the Knee

Abstract

The menisci and their insertions into bone represent a fibrocartilaginous functional unit [1]. Their function is to distribute loads and to protect the cartilage and the subchondral bone. They measure approximately 35 mm in diameter and are divided into anterior horn, posterior horn, and body of meniscus. Both menisci are hypovascular and contain mainly water and a dense elaborate type I collagen network with a predominantly circumferential alignment [1]. The vascular supply is provided by branches of lateral, medial, and middle genicular arteries. A perimeniscal capillary plexus originating in the capsular and synovial tissues of the joint supplies the peripheral 10–33 % of the menisci [2, 3]. Both menisci are interconnected and are separately attached to the capsule and anchored to the adjacent bone structures. The tibial attachment of the menisci are known as the meniscal root ligaments. On MR images menisci are seen as homogeneous low-signal intensity structures on all sequences (Fig. 5.1).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Phoenix Diagnostic Clinic, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

    Nicolae V. Bolog MD, PhD, MS

  2. Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland

    Gustav Andreisek MD, MBA & Erika J. Ulbrich MD

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  1. Nicolae V. Bolog MD, PhD, MS
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  2. Gustav Andreisek MD, MBA
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  3. Erika J. Ulbrich MD
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Bolog, N.V., Andreisek, G., Ulbrich, E.J. (2015). Meniscus. In: MRI of the Knee. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-08165-6_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-08165-6_5

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