[NMR tomography of bone-cartilage transplants in the knee joint: transplant morphology and an attempt at the quantitative assessment of cartilage changes].

MRT control examinations were carried out on 15 patients with allogenic bone-cartilage transplants in the knee. Spin-echo and gradient-echo sequences were obtained by using a flat surface coil. The results were compared with arthroscopic and operative findings. In 8 symptom-free patients, there was inclusion of the bone implant with narrow, but smooth, cartilage. 7 patients with recurrence of symptoms showed various complications such as oedema of the marrow, exudative synovitis, cartilage oedema, degenerative cartilagenous changes with regeneration of fibro-cartilage and localized cartilage defects. Spin-echo sequences were useful for showing bone, whereas gradient-echo sequences proved better for showing changes in the cartilage. MRT can be recommended as the method of choice for the non-invasive control of bone-cartilage transplants.