Published in:
Open Access 01-12-2015 | Musculoskeletal
Prevalence of cartilaginous tumours as an incidental finding on MRI of the knee
Published in: European Radiology | Issue 12/2015
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Objectives
The purpose was to determine prevalence of enchondromas and atypical cartilaginous tumour/chondrosarcoma grade 1 (ACT/CS1) of the knee on MRI in a large cohort study, namely the Netherlands Epidemiology of Obesity (NEO) study.
Methods
Participants aged 45 to 65 years were prospectively included, oversampling overweight and obese persons. Within a subgroup of participants, MRI of the right knee was performed and screened for incidental cartilaginous tumours, as defined by their characteristic location and appearance.
Results
Forty-nine cartilaginous tumours were observed in 44 out of 1285 participants (estimated population prevalence 2.8 %, 95 % CI 2.0–4.0 %). Mean largest tumour diameter was 12 mm (range 2–31 mm). Eight participants with a tumour larger than 20 mm or a tumour with aggressive features were referred to rule out low-grade chondrosarcoma. One was lost to follow-up, three had histologically proven ACT/CS1 and four had dynamic contrast MRI findings consistent with benign enchondroma.
Conclusions
Incidental cartilaginous tumours were relatively common on knee MRI and may be regarded as a normal concurrent finding. However, more tumours than expected were ACT/CS1. Because further examination was performed only when suspicion of chondrosarcoma was high, the actual prevalence might be even higher.
Key Points
• Incidental cartilaginous tumours are relatively common on knee MRI.
• Most incidental cartilaginous tumours are small and lack suspicious features.
• Small cartilaginous tumours without suspicious findings may be a normal concurrent finding.
• Large tumours and/or those with suspicious findings should be further investigated.
• Atypical cartilaginous tumour/chondrosarcoma grade 1 was found more often than expected.