Common meniscal tears Buckethandle extensive vertical tearing with

Common meniscal tears Bucket-handle: extensive vertical tearing with displacement of meniscal tissue (the bucket handle) towards the intercondylar region Coronal MRI. Arrow on left is displaced fragment from MMT; right arrow shows ACL tear Arrows point to displaced bucket handle fragment on axial MRI

Common meniscal tears Radial: tear extends like a spoke of a wheel from the periphery of the meniscus towards its apex centrally Axial MRI. Arrow points to radial defect in the medial meniscal body Sagittal MRI. Radial defect in medial meniscal body arrowed

Common meniscal tears Flap tear: very common unstable tear. Complexly orientated, often with displaced meniscal fragments Coronal MRI. Yellow arrow shows displaced meniscal “flap” lying in coronary recess. Green arrow shows bone marrow oedema of medial tibia plateau, consistent with a meniscal-tear related stress response. This stress response is due to altered knee biomechanics related to failure of normal meniscal function

Common meniscal tears Peripheral vertical: associated with ACL tears, either of medial or lateral meniscus. Often are candidates for repair rather than resection Sagittal MRI. Arrow points to vertical tear of the posterior horn of the lateral meniscus. Note the tear is contained to the peripheral 1/3 of the meniscus, the so called “red zone” which has some propensity to heal. This patient had an acute ACL tear (not shown)