Ultrasound scanning for the diagnosis of meniscal lesions of the knee joint.

We report on the efficacy of ultrasound scanning as a noninvasive method of the preoperative diagnosis of meniscal lesions of the knee joint, using the 7.5-Hz head of a real-time scanner. In studies on cadaveric knee joints we found a high efficacy in diagnosing meniscal lesions using ultrasound. Comparative clinical studies on 51 patients who had undergone preoperative ultrasound scanning showed a strong correlation of ultrasound diagnosis with intraoperative findings. Arthrography was performed in 24 of the 51 patients, yet ultrasound studies proved to be more effective than arthrography in diagnosing meniscal lesions. Consequently, we believe that ultrasonic scanning as a noninvasive method of diagnosis is more helpful in identifying meniscal lesions of the knee joint.