Meniscus UTE-T2* Measured Prior to Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Predicts Radiographic Osteoarthritis 11 Years Later

This study examines whether compositional degeneration of the meniscus is a potential predictor of future radiographic knee OA. Mensical UTE-T2* maps acquired prior to anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) were compared to knee radiographs collected 11 years later in 11 ACLR patients. On average, pre-operative posterior medial and lateral meniscal UTE-T2* values were 39% and 33% higher in knees with KL grade ≥ 2 compared to knees with KL grades 0-1 at 11-year follow-up (p=0.016, 0.034). Thus, elevated meniscal UTE-T2* in the context of an ACLR knee may be a warning of increased risk for radiographic osteoarthritis many years later.