MRI of the knees in asymptomatic adolescent soccer players: A case-control study.

PURPOSE: To determine the range of asymptomatic abnormal findings in adolescent soccer players at 3.0T MRI of the knee.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

In all, 87 knees of asymptomatic 14-17-year-old male adolescents were evaluated at 3T, using a standardized examination protocol comprising four sequences: two fat-suppressed T2 -weighted fast spin-echo sequences (T2 FSE), in the sagittal (repetition time / echo time [TR/TE], 5.300/71, echo train length [ETL] 17) and coronal planes (TR/TE, 4234/70, ETL 17), one fat-suppressed proton density (PD) sequence in the axial plane (TR/TE, 2.467/40, ETL 9), and one T1 -weighted spin-echo (T1 SE) sequence in the sagittal plane (TR/TE, 684/12.5). Soccer players (46 knees) were paired with controls (41 knees) by age and weight. Bone marrow, articular cartilage, meniscus, tendons, ligaments, fat pad abnormalities, and joint fluid were assessed.

RESULTS

One or more abnormalities were detected in 31 knees (67.4%) in the soccer player group, compared to 20 knees (48.8%) in the control group. The prevalence of bone marrow edema was higher in the soccer group (19 knees, 41.3%) than in the control group (3 knees, 7.3%), P = 0.001. Other abnormalities found in this sample (joint effusion, cartilage lesions, tendinopathy, ganglion cysts, and infrapatellar fat pat edema) were not significantly different between the two study groups.

CONCLUSION

Asymptomatic adolescents had a high prevalence of abnormal findings on knee imaging, especially bone marrow edema. This prevalence was higher among soccer players.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2017;45:59-65.