Marching cleft sign (meniscus)
Last revised by Andrew Murphy ◉ on 01 Feb 2021
Citation, DOI & article data
Citation:
Chmiel-Nowak, M., Murphy, A. Marching cleft sign (meniscus). Reference article, Radiopaedia.org. (accessed on 28 May 2022) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-74852
Permalink:
rID:
74852
Article created:
06 Mar 2020 by Dr Magdalena Chmiel-Nowak ◉
Revisions:
4 times by 2 users - see full revision history
System:
Section:
Synonyms:
- Marching cleft
The marching cleft sign is a finding on sagittal MR images, which is useful in characterizing the configuration of meniscal tears. It is present when a meniscal tear is oriented obliquely in relation to both coronal and sagittal plane, which results in the tear cleft moving towards or away from the free meniscal edge on consecutive sagittal images. It can be seen:
- radial tears located at the junction of the body and horn (most often posterior horn)
- parrot beak tear (oblique radial tear)
References
- 1. Nguyen JC, De Smet AA, Graf BK et-al. MR imaging-based diagnosis and classification of meniscal tears. Radiographics. 2014;34 (4): 981-99. doi:10.1148/rg.344125202 - Pubmed citation
- 2. Keith W. Harper, Clyde A. Helms, H. Stanley Lambert, III, Laurence D. Higgins. Radial Meniscal Tears: Significance, Incidence, and MR Appearance. (2012) American Journal of Roentgenology. 185 (6): 1429-34. doi:10.2214/AJR.04.1024 - Pubmed
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