Diagnostic Accuracy of McMurray's Test for Meniscal Injury of the Knee Joint, Taking Arthroscopy as the Gold Standard.

Introduction Meniscal tears are a common cause of knee pain and disability. While McMurray's test is widely used for clinical diagnosis, its accuracy varies across studies. This research aimed to assess the diagnostic accuracy of McMurray's test for detecting meniscal tears, using arthroscopy as the gold standard. Materials and Methods This prospective observational study included 152 patients aged 20-40 years. McMurray's test was performed on all patients by an experienced orthopedic surgeon. Arthroscopy was later conducted for confirmation. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, diagnostic accuracy, and receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) area under the curve (AUC) were calculated for both menisci separately. Results Out of 152 patients, McMurray's test was positive in 57.9%, and arthroscopy confirmed meniscal tears in 61.2% of cases. The test showed an accuracy of 61.2% and 91.5% for diagnosing medial and lateral meniscus tears, respectively. ROC analysis for the medial and lateral meniscus demonstrated an AUC of 61.2% and 75.9%, respectively. Conclusion McMurray's test demonstrated modest diagnostic accuracy in detecting meniscal injuries. While useful as an initial clinical tool, it should be interpreted with caution, and further clinical tests and imaging may be warranted for definitive diagnosis.