Knee MRI: from report to plain English
Written report
- Examination
- MRI of the right knee, without contrast.
- History
- Persistent knee discomfort.
- Comparison
- No previous examination available.
- Findings
- Small joint effusion. No meniscal tear identified. Cruciate ligaments are intact.
- Impression / Conclusion
- Small joint effusion. Clinical correlation recommended.
Illustrative explanation
The report describes a little extra fluid in the knee. It does not describe a meniscus tear or a tear of the cruciate ligaments. There was no earlier scan available for comparison.
The report alone does not establish why the knee hurts or which treatment is appropriate. The next conversation is about how these observations fit the symptoms and examination.
This explanation applies only to the fictional wording shown here. Another report may contain additional findings that change its meaning.
What each phrase tells you
- Small joint effusion.
- A small amount of extra fluid is described inside the knee joint. This sentence does not identify the cause.
- No meniscal tear identified.
- The report does not describe a tear in either meniscus, the pads of cartilage inside the knee.
- Cruciate ligaments are intact.
- The report describes the anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments as continuous, without a tear being reported.
- Clinical correlation recommended.
- The clinician should consider the scan description alongside the symptoms, examination and other relevant information.
US, UK and Australian wording
Your report may call the summary “Impression”, “Conclusion” or “Opinion”. Those labels vary by provider as well as country. “Edema” and “oedema” are different spellings of the same term; spelling alone does not change a finding.
In the US, take questions to the clinician who ordered the MRI. In the UK and Australia, this may be your referring GP or specialist. Use the full report for that discussion.
Read the MRI guide and country-specific access information →Questions to take to your appointment
- Does the extra fluid help explain the symptoms?
- Does the examination suggest anything that the scan cannot answer?
- What follow-up, if any, is appropriate?
Background reading: RadiologyInfo: Knee MRI.