Articular Cartilage Defect

Clinical History: 
47 year old man presented with left knee pain and swelling and some loss of range of motion. He has no history of trauma to the left knee or locking of the left knee.

Diagnosis:
Full thickness focal articular cartilage defect over the lateral femoral condyle with some subchondral bone edema. Loose body in the postero-medial joint space.

MR Technique:
3T (Siemens Verio) using knee coil. Image 1: Axial non-contrast T2-weighted fast spin echo (TR/TE 833/23 ms, slice thickness 3 mm, scan time 3 min 43 sec); Image 2: Proton density fast spin echo sagittal (TR/TE 2300/37 ms, slice thickness 3 mm, scan time 1 min 47 sec,) and Image 3:T2-weighted coronal fast spin echo (TR/TE 4720/74 ms, slice thickness 3 mm, scan time 4 min).

Imaging Findings:
There is a sharply defined full thickness loss of articular cartilage over the lateral femoral condyle with underlying area of subchondral bone edema. A calcific loose body is present in the postero-medial joint space at the level of the medial meniscus.