Three Morphological Risk Factors for Predicting Isolated Meniscal Bucket-handle Tear.

PURPOSE: The study aimed to investigate whether morphometric variables of the knee can predict isolated meniscal bucket-handle tears and identify the risk factors.

METHODS: The study included 146 participants with a mean age of 36.547 ± 12.279 years. They included two groups of 73 patients each: one group with isolated meniscal bucket-handle tears and another with no knee injury (control group). Magnetic resonance imaging findings of the participants were retrospectively assessed. A few morphometric variables associated with distal femur, proximal tibia, and cruciate ligaments were measured.

RESULTS: Cruciate ligament tensity (CLT), medial femoral condylar height (MFCH), and lateral meniscal bone angle (LMBA) were found to be 12.7 ± 0.3, 30.1 ± 2.5 mm, and 21.2° ± 3.4°, respectively, in patients with meniscal bucket-handle tear, compared with 11.9 ± 0.2, 28.3 ± 2.7 mm, and 26.5° ± 3.7° in the control group, respectively. Based on multivariate Firth's logistic regression analysis, CLT (Odds ratio [OR]: 456.533; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 27.582 to > 999.999), MFCH (OR: 1.603; 95% CI: 1.023-2.513), and LMBA (OR: 0.780; 95% CI: 0.624-0.975) could distinguish between meniscal bucket-handle tears and knees without meniscus tears ( p  < 0.05). Based on the multicategorical multinominal regression model, CLT (OR: > 999.999; 95% CI: 49.937 to > 999.999) and MFCH (OR: 1.903; 95% CI: 1.005-3.606) were the determinant variables in differentiating medial meniscal bucket-handle tears from knees without meniscus tears ( p  < 0.05).

CONCLUSION: Large CLT, high medial condyle, and small LMBA were revealed as the morphometric risk factors for meniscal bucket-handle tear.