Parrot beak meniscal tear

Last revised by David Luong on 14 Feb 2022

Parrot beak meniscal tear is a type of radial meniscal tear with a more oblique course, which on axial images gives the characteristic appearance of a curved V, similar to a parrot's beak. As it is obliquely oriented in relation to the coronal and sagittal plane, it results in a marching cleft sign on sagittal images. This type of tear is usually symptomatic, as the partially torn meniscal flap is unstable. 

Practical points

Some authors advise that the term should be reserved for arthroscopy reports, and not used in MRI reports as a meniscal tear pattern descriptor 1.

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