Bucket Handle Tear Mri

Bucket handle meniscal tears are a type of displaced longitudinal meniscal tear where the inner part is displaced centrally.

Bucket handle tear mri. A bucket handle tear is not a challenge to diagnose. This type of tear is typically associated with trauma and is often found in conjunction with acl tear or insufficiency when medial meniscus is involved but can occur in isolation. According to the wheeless textbook of orthopaedics bucket. Bucket hand tears can manifest as sensitive but not specific signs 1.

On coronal images bucket handle tears are easier to recognize. Your story as well as our physical examination will usually raise our suspicion that a large meniscus tear exists. The anterior and posterior cruciate ligament. Normally there are only two structures in the intercondylar fossa.

A bucket handle tear of the meniscus occurs on the outer portion of the meniscus cartilage and causes a vertical slice through the meniscus. The medial meniscus is more often involved than the lateral meniscus. A bucket handle tear is a type of vertical longitudinal tear of the meniscus with displacement of the inner fragment into the intercondylar notch. Unfortunately bucket handle tears of the meniscus are one of the more frequently missed tear patterns with mr imaging.

Any other structure in the intercondylar fossa is abnormal and a displaced meniscal fragment is the most likely possibility. The bow tie rule 1 2 is a useful mr interpretation sign that should increase a reader s sensitivity for the detection of bucket handle tears. A double pcl sign from a torn medial meniscus can essentially only be seen in patients who have an intact anterior cruciate ligament acl as this is required to prevent the flipped fragment from migrating further. An mri is usually necessary to confirm whether or not a complete meniscus tear is present.

More on bucket handle tears. The attachments of the meniscus remain intact and the torn portion of the meniscus pulls into the center of the joint. A bucket handle tear is a full thickness tear of the meniscus that most often happens in the inner portion of your medial meniscus. A bucket handle meniscus tear is a very specific type of knee injury that occurs when part of a supportive cartilage disk called the meniscus is displaced in the knee joint.

In other words the tear widens or gaps. Bucket handle tears are quite important clinically as locking of the joint often occurs necessitating arthroscopic treatment of the tear. The bow tie rule simply stated is that the normal meniscal body should be seen as at.