Quantitative evaluation of postoperative status after meniscal repair using synthetic magnetic resonance imaging

Abstract Background Surgical treatment is the primary modality for meniscal tears, and assessment of recovery after meniscal surgery is important in the development of a patient’s treatment plan. Synthetic MRI (SyMRI) can simultaneously provide an objective assessment of meniscal changes and contras...

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Main Authors: Lingtao Zhang, Wenfeng Mai, Yun Su, Xukai Mo, Xiubao Song, Changzheng Shi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-06-01
Series:European Journal of Medical Research
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s40001-025-02763-5
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author Lingtao Zhang
Wenfeng Mai
Yun Su
Xukai Mo
Xiubao Song
Changzheng Shi
author_facet Lingtao Zhang
Wenfeng Mai
Yun Su
Xukai Mo
Xiubao Song
Changzheng Shi
author_sort Lingtao Zhang
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Surgical treatment is the primary modality for meniscal tears, and assessment of recovery after meniscal surgery is important in the development of a patient’s treatment plan. Synthetic MRI (SyMRI) can simultaneously provide an objective assessment of meniscal changes and contrast-weighted images for subjective evaluation. This study aimed to assess whether SyMRI, utilizing both qualitative and quantitative mapping, could accurately evaluate postoperative recovery status, using Lysholm scores as a reference. Methods From July to November 2022, 49 patients undergoing arthroscopic meniscus tear repair were enrolled. Each underwent conventional MRI and sagittal SyMRI on a 3.0 T scanner preoperatively, and at 6 and 12 months postoperatively. All patients completed the Lysholm form before MRI. Twenty-seven patients completed all MRI sessions. Meniscal T1 and T2 relaxation times, as well as proton density (PD) values, were measured. One-way ANOVA assessed changes over time, while Pearson and Spearman correlation analyses evaluated associations with Lysholm scores and Stoller grades, respectively. Results Only T2 relaxation times demonstrated significant differences across time points (P < 0.001). T2 relaxation times negatively correlated with Lysholm scores (r = − 0.772, P < 0.001), while T1 relaxation times and PD values showed no significant correlations. Stoller grade also showed a significant negative correlation with Lysholm scores (r = − 0.409, P < 0.001). Conclusions SyMRI-derived T2 relaxation time may serve as a quantitative biomarker for assessing postoperative meniscal healing. By enabling the acquisition of multiple MRI parameters in a single, time-efficient scan, SyMRI offers a noninvasive and practical tool for evaluating postoperative meniscal status and guiding clinical decision-making.
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spelling doaj-art-354f3f4fa1ae4375a7d00904db45aff42025-08-20T03:27:10ZengBMCEuropean Journal of Medical Research2047-783X2025-06-0130111110.1186/s40001-025-02763-5Quantitative evaluation of postoperative status after meniscal repair using synthetic magnetic resonance imagingLingtao Zhang0Wenfeng Mai1Yun Su2Xukai Mo3Xiubao Song4Changzheng Shi5Medical Imaging Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan UniversityMedical Imaging Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan UniversityUItrasonic Department, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan UniversityMedical Imaging Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan UniversityRehabilitation Medicine Department, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan UniversityMedical Imaging Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan UniversityAbstract Background Surgical treatment is the primary modality for meniscal tears, and assessment of recovery after meniscal surgery is important in the development of a patient’s treatment plan. Synthetic MRI (SyMRI) can simultaneously provide an objective assessment of meniscal changes and contrast-weighted images for subjective evaluation. This study aimed to assess whether SyMRI, utilizing both qualitative and quantitative mapping, could accurately evaluate postoperative recovery status, using Lysholm scores as a reference. Methods From July to November 2022, 49 patients undergoing arthroscopic meniscus tear repair were enrolled. Each underwent conventional MRI and sagittal SyMRI on a 3.0 T scanner preoperatively, and at 6 and 12 months postoperatively. All patients completed the Lysholm form before MRI. Twenty-seven patients completed all MRI sessions. Meniscal T1 and T2 relaxation times, as well as proton density (PD) values, were measured. One-way ANOVA assessed changes over time, while Pearson and Spearman correlation analyses evaluated associations with Lysholm scores and Stoller grades, respectively. Results Only T2 relaxation times demonstrated significant differences across time points (P < 0.001). T2 relaxation times negatively correlated with Lysholm scores (r = − 0.772, P < 0.001), while T1 relaxation times and PD values showed no significant correlations. Stoller grade also showed a significant negative correlation with Lysholm scores (r = − 0.409, P < 0.001). Conclusions SyMRI-derived T2 relaxation time may serve as a quantitative biomarker for assessing postoperative meniscal healing. By enabling the acquisition of multiple MRI parameters in a single, time-efficient scan, SyMRI offers a noninvasive and practical tool for evaluating postoperative meniscal status and guiding clinical decision-making.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40001-025-02763-5MeniscusSynthetic MRIQuantitative MRIMRI
spellingShingle Lingtao Zhang
Wenfeng Mai
Yun Su
Xukai Mo
Xiubao Song
Changzheng Shi
Quantitative evaluation of postoperative status after meniscal repair using synthetic magnetic resonance imaging
European Journal of Medical Research
Meniscus
Synthetic MRI
Quantitative MRI
MRI
title Quantitative evaluation of postoperative status after meniscal repair using synthetic magnetic resonance imaging
title_full Quantitative evaluation of postoperative status after meniscal repair using synthetic magnetic resonance imaging
title_fullStr Quantitative evaluation of postoperative status after meniscal repair using synthetic magnetic resonance imaging
title_full_unstemmed Quantitative evaluation of postoperative status after meniscal repair using synthetic magnetic resonance imaging
title_short Quantitative evaluation of postoperative status after meniscal repair using synthetic magnetic resonance imaging
title_sort quantitative evaluation of postoperative status after meniscal repair using synthetic magnetic resonance imaging
topic Meniscus
Synthetic MRI
Quantitative MRI
MRI
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s40001-025-02763-5
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AT yunsu quantitativeevaluationofpostoperativestatusaftermeniscalrepairusingsyntheticmagneticresonanceimaging
AT xukaimo quantitativeevaluationofpostoperativestatusaftermeniscalrepairusingsyntheticmagneticresonanceimaging
AT xiubaosong quantitativeevaluationofpostoperativestatusaftermeniscalrepairusingsyntheticmagneticresonanceimaging
AT changzhengshi quantitativeevaluationofpostoperativestatusaftermeniscalrepairusingsyntheticmagneticresonanceimaging