Table 3.
Evaluated items of anatomic structures and pathologies of the knee
| Item | Grade | Description/MRI finding |
|---|---|---|
| Meniscus | 0 | Normal |
| 1 | Altered (degenerative or postsurgical changes) | |
| 2 | Tear (high signal intensity breaching the lower and/or upper meniscal surface) | |
| Ligaments | 0 | Normal |
| 1 | Altered (degenerative or postsurgical changes) | |
| 2 | Tear (discontinuity of at least 50% of the fibers) | |
| Cartilage | 0 | Normal |
| 1 | Nearly normal (superficial lesions: soft indentation and/or superficial fissures and cracks) | |
| 2 | Abnormal (lesions extending down to < 50% of cartilage depth) | |
| 3a | Severely abnormal (cartilage defects extending down > 50% of cartilage depth) | |
| 3b | Severely abnormal (cartilage defects extending down to calcified layer) | |
| 3c | Severely abnormal (cartilage defects extending down to but not through the subchondral bone) | |
| 4 | Severely abnormal (penetration of the subchondral bone) | |
| Bone marrow edema | 0 | Absent |
| 1 | Present | |
| Fracture | 0 | Absent |
| 1 | Present | |
| Joint effusion | 0 | Absent |
| 1 | Present |