Bucket-handle tear

Case contributed by Abdalla Al-Khashmani

Presentation

History of trauma during soccer game. Severe knee pain.

Patient Data

Age: 28 years old
Gender: Male
mri

The whole anterior horn of the medial meniscus is flipped posteriorly, resulting in an empty meniscus sign. Enlarged bulky posterior horn with double PCL sign also noted. Findings are suggestive of a flipped meniscus (Bucket-handle tear).

Intact lateral meniscus.

Both anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments appear normal.

Both lateral and collateral ligaments appear normal.

The quadriceps and patellar tendons are normal.

Case Discussion

Bucket-handle tears are quite important clinically, as locking of the joint often occurs, necessitating arthroscopic treatment of the tear. Unfortunately, bucket-handle tears of the meniscus is a frequently missed tear pattern with MR imaging.

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