Rates of meniscal tearing in patients with chondrocalcinosis

Abstract

Internal derangement of the knee secondary to a meniscal tear has been recently observed in patients with chondrocalcinosis. However, there is no data about the prevalence of meniscal tears associated to chondrocalcinosis. Therefore, the aim of this study was to know the rates of meniscal tear in patients with chondrocalcinosis. The study population was a cohort of 1031 consecutive outpatients who underwent arthroscopy of the knee. Meniscal tear was present in 322 patients and 709 patients had intact meniscus. The specific subgroup of interest included 58 knees from 58 patients (25 males and 33 females) with arthroscopic evidences of chondrocalcinosis. Patients with chondrocalcinosis had significantly higher rates of meniscal tear compared to those without chondrocalcinosis (74.1 versus 28.7%, p < 0.001). An absolute and attributable risk of tear was 74 and 8%, respectively, in knees with chondrocalcinosis. Relative risk of tear in patients with chondrocalcinosis versus without chondrocalcinosis was 2.58 (95% confidence interval 2.16-3.10). In patients with chondrocalcinosis and meniscal tear, the duration of the disease was about 5.3 (range 1-8) years versus 4.9 (range 3-7) years in those patients with chondrocalcinosis and an intact meniscus (p = 0.75). In conclusion, our findings support that chondrocalcinosis predispose meniscal tearing even in the absence of any traumatic event. Further longitudinal studies are needed to characterize the impact of chondrocalcinosis and meniscal vulnerability.

Evaluation of Chondrocalcinosis and Associated Knee Joint Degeneration Using MR Imaging: Data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative

“…In a previous study using arthroscopy, the prevalence of meniscal tears in subjects with chondrocalcinosis was comparable to our findings, with complex tears being the most frequent type of tears, followed by horizontal tears [14]. However, subjects were only stratified into subjects with or without chondrocalcinosis for the previous analysis.…”

“…Arthroscopically, it has been shown that chondrocalcinosis is associated with meniscal tears [14]. However, MRI is the most accurate and least invasive for diagnosis of cartilage and meniscal damage [15].…”

Comparison of Meniscal Cell-Mediated and Chondrocyte-Mediated Calcification

“…Studies found that 86% of patients with CPPD disease displayed calcified mineral deposits in the meniscus and that calcification increased with age [22, 23]. In a previous study conducted in our laboratory, we showed that OA meniscal cells produced more calcium deposits in culture than normal meniscal cells and displayed elevated expression of several genes involved in biomineralization [24].…”

Consistency of the Sonographic Image (Double Contour Sign) in Patients with Gout after Ambulation

“…The absence of crystal shedding in patients with chondrocalcinosis might explained by its deeper location and a firm attachment within the articular cartilage and menisci. [67] On the other hand, synovial membrane is probably an uncommon source for mechanical shedding because crystal deposits in chondrocalcinosis have been identified subsynovially. [7]…”