ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To compare the effectivity of low (0.35 T) and high (1.5 T) field magnetic resonance imaging units in detecting meniscal tears. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-eight knee MR imaging examinations performed in low field MR unit and 76 examinations performed in high field unit were retrospectively evaluated. MR results were compared with arthroscopy findings in all patients. RESULTS: For medial meniscus tears, sensitivity, specificity and accuracy values were 93.7%, 87.5% and 91.6%, respectively in the low field unit. For lateral meniscus tears, these values were 87.5%, 95.0% and 93.7%, respectively. In the high field unit (1.5 T), sensitivity, specificity and accuracy for the detection of medial meniscus tears were 96.6%, 88.2% and 94.7%, respectively. For lateral meniscus tears, these values were 71.4%, 98.5% and 96.0%, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between high and low field units in the detection of medial and lateral meniscus tears. CONCLUSION: We think that low field MR units are as effective as high field units in the evaluation of meniscus tears.
