T2 Relaxation Time Changes in the Distal Femoral Condylar Cartilage of Children and Young Adults with Discoid Meniscus

OBJECTIVE: To investigate compositional changes in the distal femoral condylar cartilage (FCC) of children and young adults with and without discoid meniscus by T2 relaxation time mapping. DESIGN: We retrospectively reviewed knee magnetic resonance images including sagittal T2 maps of distal FCC performed in patients with or without discoid meniscus. Combined meniscal pathology such as degeneration or tears was also reviewed. Regions of interest were selected, and T2 relaxation time profiles were generated according to medial and lateral and FCC and according to weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing FCC. Nonparametric comparison tests using median values were performed. RESULTS: Seventy-nine knees from 73 patients (2-20 years) including 45 knees with lateral discoid meniscus (discoid group) were studied. T2 values of FCC showed negative correlation with age in both the discoid and nondiscoid groups (P < 0.01), except for medial weight-bearing FCC. In the discoid group, T2 relaxation times of lateral weight-bearing FCC (median, 46.5 ms) were lower than those of lateral non-weight-bearing (median, 53.2 ms; P < 0.001) and medial weight-bearing (median, 50.5 ms; P = 0.012) FCC. Lateral weight-bearing FCC also showed lower T2 values than other areas in patients with meniscal pathology in the discoid group. However, T2 relaxation times did not differ between the discoid and nondiscoid groups in patients without meniscal pathology. CONCLUSIONS: Children and young adults with discoid meniscus have lower T2 relaxation times in lateral weight-bearing FCC compared with non-weight-bearing or medial FCC, suggesting compositional changes have occurred in these patients.