My Knees

Reports

Left knee MRI
Right knee MRI
Diagnosis

Images

Left knee MRI
Right knee MRI

Surgery

Right: 9.8.99

As indicated in the MRI, the right knee required both ACL and cartilage repair. These images show a couple of vies of the original tear. Fortunately, the tear was near enough the middle of the meniscus that it could be stiched back together. Further, it wasn't so large that it woul dneed to be cut away. Since the tear is central, cutting away the torn area would have forced around a third of the meniscus to be removed. These two images show the stiched together cartilage from both the top and the bottom. The stiches are in black and while they appear large and seperated by too much distance, the scale is just fooling you.

The ACL required replacement. This image shows that the original ACL was not normal. It twisted and was connected only by scar tissue. Even though the standard KT-1000 test showed some resistance, and possible ACL function, in the pre-surgery exam, once under anesthesia the knee showed no such resistance. It was completely disfunctional. The new ACL was built from a graft taken from the hamstring. This was the case since my knee has rather severe patella tendonitous. Taking a patella graft was out of the question.

Left: 10.20.99

The left knee did not require any cartilage or meniscus repair. This is evident in these shots of the meniscus. Notice smooth edges as well as no holes or tears. (Oddly, there is still pain where the reported tear was to be from the MRI.)

The ACL, however, did require replacement. The first image shows the original ACL. It is snubnosed and connected only via scar tissue. The surgeon decided that it was disfunctional and had to be replaced. The graft was taken from the hamstring (again because of patella tendonitous). The second image shows the new ACL in place. Notice the adjacent bone to the new ACL has been shaved back. This is to allow a better path for the new ACL since the attachment points are not identical to that of the original.