İhsaniye SÜER DOĞAN, Teoman Bekir YENİ, Batuhan GENCER, Özgür DOĞAN
Archives of Basic and Clinical Research - 2026;8(1):53-58
Objective: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a non-invasive and extensively used diagnostic tool for evaluating intra-articular knee pathologies. Nevertheless, the diagnostic concordance between MRI and arthroscopic findings remains a matter of debate. This study aimed to assess the correlation between MRI and arthroscopic findings in patients with intra-articular knee pathologies. Methods: This retrospective study included 203 patients who underwent knee arthroscopy between 2020 and 2022 for suspected intra-articular pathology. MRI and intraoperative findings were compared for the anterior cruciate ligament, medial and lateral menisci, chondral lesions, and plica structures. Results: The mean age of patients was 42.0 +/- 12.87 years; 62.1% were male. MRI findings demonstrated a strong correlation with arthroscopy for anterior cruciate ligament injuries (kappa = 0.75, P < 0.001) and a moderate correlation for medial meniscal tears (kappa = 0.60, P < 0.001). However, reliability was weak to very weak for lateral meniscal tears and chondral lesions (kappa < 0.49, P < 0.05); no significant reliability was observed for lateral femoral condyle cartilage (kappa = 0.03, P = 0.644) or for the presence of plica (kappa = 0.01, P = 0.771) between MRI and arthroscopic findings. Conclusion: Although MRI is a valuable diagnostic tool for evaluating intra-articular knee pathologies, its correlation with arthroscopy was weak for detecting lateral meniscal injuries, chondral lesions, and the presence of plica. The use of MRI as the sole diagnostic tool may be inadequate, potentially resulting in failure to diagnose patients with persistent or unexplained knee symptoms. Although MRI plays an important role in the diagnosis of intra-articular knee pathologies, arthroscopy remains the definitive gold standard for confirming these lesions.
