Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings in Knee Joint Pain at King Saud Medical City, Saudi Arabia

Knee pain is a common presenting complaint with many possible causes. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is highly sensitive in detecting these abnormalities. This study was aimed to use MRI to determine the incidence of knee pathologies arise in symptomatic Saudi patients referred to King Saud Medical City. A total of 58 consecutive patients was recruited in this retrospective study, in the period of February 2011 to July 2012. MRI of the knees was done using four channel knee coil and a 1.5 Tesla superconducting magnet. Ligament lesions were demonstrated in (36.2 %) of the knees, meniscal lesions detected in (37.9 %), joint effusion developed in (63.8 %), Subchondral edema and tumour were found equally in (1.7 %), bone marrow edema and bursitis presents in (5.2 %) of conditions, bony contusion presents in (15.5 %), osteoarthritis; bone erosion, osteophyte changes and Baker cyst were diagnosed in (12.1 %) and (10.4 %) respectively. The findings were dominant in females rather than males (p-value = 0.03), and were not exclusive only to the elderly but can also develop in younger-middle age groups