Magnetic resonance imaging of sports injuries of the knee.

Introduction Sports-related knee injuries are common, with contact sports and sports involving twisting movements being the most frequent causes. Sports injuries may affect any of the knee structures, including ligaments, menisci, bones, cartilage and periarticular soft tissues. However, relatively few injuries involve isolated structures, with complex injuries affecting multiple structures being much more common. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is now widely used for imaging injuries of internal structures of the knee, and has replaced conventional arthrography and diagnostic arthroscopy. It is superior to computed tomography (CT) for imaging of soft tissue structures. Accurate MR imaging diagnosis and interpretation allow a more complete identification of the extent of injuries and aids clinical management.