Incidence of Knee Cartilage Pathology on Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Correlation to Clinical Symptoms and Orthopaedic History Among Players at the National Basketball Association Draft Combine.
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| Title: | Incidence of Knee Cartilage Pathology on Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Correlation to Clinical Symptoms and Orthopaedic History Among Players at the National Basketball Association Draft Combine. |
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| Authors: | Allahabadi S; Houston Methodist Orthopedics & Sports Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA.; Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA., Khan ZA; Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA., Chahla J; Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA., Meisel P; National Basketball Association, New York, New York, USA., DiFiori JP; National Basketball Association, New York, New York, USA.; Primary Sports Medicine, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, New York, USA., Bedi A; Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.; National Basketball Players Association, New York, New York, USA., Omar IM; Department of Radiology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA., Polster JM; Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Imaging Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio, USA., Potter HG; Department of Radiology and Imaging, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, New York, USA., Cole BJ; Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA. |
| Source: | The American journal of sports medicine [Am J Sports Med] 2025 Nov; Vol. 53 (13), pp. 3152-3159. Date of Electronic Publication: 2025 Oct 08. |
| Publication Type: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Journal Info: | Publisher: Sage Publications Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 7609541 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1552-3365 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 03635465 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Am J Sports Med Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Publication: 2004- : Thousand Oaks, CA : Sage Publications Original Publication: Baltimore, Williams & Wilkins. |
| MeSH Terms: | Basketball*/injuries , Cartilage, Articular*/pathology , Cartilage, Articular*/injuries , Knee Injuries*/epidemiology , Knee Injuries*/pathology , Knee Joint*/pathology, Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Male ; Young Adult ; Adult ; Incidence ; Female ; Adolescent |
| Abstract: | Competing Interests: Presented as a poster at the annual meeting of the AOSSM, Nashville, Tennessee, July 2025. One or more of the authors has declared the following potential conflict of interest or source of funding: This work is supported by the National Basketball Association & GE Healthcare Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Collaboration. S.A. has received honoraria from Encore Medical, other financial or material support from Smith & Nephew, and hospitality payments from Stryker. J.C. is a paid consultant for Arthrex, Conmed Linvatec, Ossur, RTI Surgical, Smith & Nephew, and Vericel; has received hospitality payments from Medical Device Business Services; has received support for education from Medwest Associates; and has received speaking fees from Synthes. A.B. has received IP royalties from Arthrex; is a paid consultant for Arthrex and Collagen Matrix; has received hospitality payments from DJO, Foundation Medical, GE Healthcare, and Synthes; has received speaking fees from Synthes; has received support for education from Arthrex; and receives publishing royalties or financial or material support from Slack and Springer. J.M.P. has received hospitality payments from GE Healthcare. H.G.P. has received research support from GE Healthcare, National Institutes of Health (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases [NIAMS] and National Institute of Child Health and Human Development [NICHD]), and Seimens; has received hospitality payments from GE Healthcare and Siemens; owns stock or stock options in Imagen; and is a paid consultant for Smith & Nephew, Stryker, and UCB. B.J.C. is a paid consultant for Acumed, Aesculap/B.Braun, Arthrex, DJO, Endo Pharmaceuticals, Ossio, Regentis, and Samumed; has received research support from Aesculap/B.Braun, Arthrex, National Institutes of Health (NIAMS and NICHD), and Regentis; receives IP royalties from Arthrex and Elsevier; has received other financial and material support from Athletico, JRF Ortho, and Smith & Nephew; owns stock or stock options in Bandgrip, Ossio, and Regentis; has received support for education from Endo Pharmaceuticals; has received publishing royalties or financial or material support from Operative Techniques in Sports Medicine; and has received speaking fees from Terumo BCT and Vericel. AOSSM has not conducted an independent investigation on the OPD and disclaims any liability or responsibility relating thereto. Ethical approval for this study was obtained from Northwestern University (IRB No. STU00205087). Background: High-level basketball athletes at the collegiate level and in the National Basketball Association (NBA) have a greater proportion of knee cartilage pathology than the nonathlete population. However, little is known as to whether identified pathology on knee magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) correlates with clinical symptoms or orthopaedic history in these players. Purposes: (1) To evaluate knee MRI scans in a cross-sectional population of NBA Draft Combine players to establish prevalence of knee pathology, including that of articular cartilage and meniscus in professional basketball players. (2) To identify independent variables including demographic characteristics, playing history, previous knee injury, and symptoms that correlate to these MRI findings. Study Design: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Players from the NBA Draft Combine over a 2-year period voluntarily participated by undergoing bilateral knee MRI scanning and completing clinical questionnaires. MRI scans were independently and blindly evaluated by 2 radiologists for cartilage assessment (using modified Noyes score) and meniscal pathology. Associations between imaging findings and pain/function scores and orthopaedic history were evaluated. Results: A total of 43 players (80 knees) were included. Intraclass correlation coefficients were a mean of 0.827 for agreement and 0.831 for consistency for the modified Noyes score. Cartilage pathology was identified in 48.3% of knees, with the most common locations being the patella and trochlea. Previous knee surgery was associated with lateral tibial plateau chondral pathology (odds ratio [OR], 6.58; P = .04). Reduced function scores were predictive of cartilage pathology on the lateral femoral condyle (OR, 0.55; P = .03). Increased pain scores were associated with a nonzero modified Noyes score (OR, 6.11; P < .01). Conclusion: The incidence of pathology identified on knee MRI scans in players at the NBA Draft Combine without clinical symptoms was high, in line with the hypothesis. Little correlation was found between the objective imaging findings and subjective pain, function, and orthopaedic injury history. Clinicians treating high-level athletes should focus on treating clinically significant findings and be cautious about treating pathology found on imaging that may not explain or correlate with symptoms. It remains critical to study the natural history of imaging findings in these athletes to better ascertain the ultimate effect of sport and physiologic load on disease progression. |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: National Basketball Association; articular cartilage; basketball; knee; magnetic resonance imaging; meniscus; professional athlete |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20251009 Date Completed: 20251101 Latest Revision: 20251101 |
| Update Code: | 20251101 |
| DOI: | 10.1177/03635465251381362 |
| PMID: | 41063463 |
| Database: | MEDLINE |
Nájsť tento článok vo Web of Science | Abstract: | Competing Interests: Presented as a poster at the annual meeting of the AOSSM, Nashville, Tennessee, July 2025. One or more of the authors has declared the following potential conflict of interest or source of funding: This work is supported by the National Basketball Association & GE Healthcare Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Collaboration. S.A. has received honoraria from Encore Medical, other financial or material support from Smith & Nephew, and hospitality payments from Stryker. J.C. is a paid consultant for Arthrex, Conmed Linvatec, Ossur, RTI Surgical, Smith & Nephew, and Vericel; has received hospitality payments from Medical Device Business Services; has received support for education from Medwest Associates; and has received speaking fees from Synthes. A.B. has received IP royalties from Arthrex; is a paid consultant for Arthrex and Collagen Matrix; has received hospitality payments from DJO, Foundation Medical, GE Healthcare, and Synthes; has received speaking fees from Synthes; has received support for education from Arthrex; and receives publishing royalties or financial or material support from Slack and Springer. J.M.P. has received hospitality payments from GE Healthcare. H.G.P. has received research support from GE Healthcare, National Institutes of Health (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases [NIAMS] and National Institute of Child Health and Human Development [NICHD]), and Seimens; has received hospitality payments from GE Healthcare and Siemens; owns stock or stock options in Imagen; and is a paid consultant for Smith & Nephew, Stryker, and UCB. B.J.C. is a paid consultant for Acumed, Aesculap/B.Braun, Arthrex, DJO, Endo Pharmaceuticals, Ossio, Regentis, and Samumed; has received research support from Aesculap/B.Braun, Arthrex, National Institutes of Health (NIAMS and NICHD), and Regentis; receives IP royalties from Arthrex and Elsevier; has received other financial and material support from Athletico, JRF Ortho, and Smith & Nephew; owns stock or stock options in Bandgrip, Ossio, and Regentis; has received support for education from Endo Pharmaceuticals; has received publishing royalties or financial or material support from Operative Techniques in Sports Medicine; and has received speaking fees from Terumo BCT and Vericel. AOSSM has not conducted an independent investigation on the OPD and disclaims any liability or responsibility relating thereto. Ethical approval for this study was obtained from Northwestern University (IRB No. STU00205087).<br />Background: High-level basketball athletes at the collegiate level and in the National Basketball Association (NBA) have a greater proportion of knee cartilage pathology than the nonathlete population. However, little is known as to whether identified pathology on knee magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) correlates with clinical symptoms or orthopaedic history in these players.<br />Purposes: (1) To evaluate knee MRI scans in a cross-sectional population of NBA Draft Combine players to establish prevalence of knee pathology, including that of articular cartilage and meniscus in professional basketball players. (2) To identify independent variables including demographic characteristics, playing history, previous knee injury, and symptoms that correlate to these MRI findings.<br />Study Design: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3.<br />Methods: Players from the NBA Draft Combine over a 2-year period voluntarily participated by undergoing bilateral knee MRI scanning and completing clinical questionnaires. MRI scans were independently and blindly evaluated by 2 radiologists for cartilage assessment (using modified Noyes score) and meniscal pathology. Associations between imaging findings and pain/function scores and orthopaedic history were evaluated.<br />Results: A total of 43 players (80 knees) were included. Intraclass correlation coefficients were a mean of 0.827 for agreement and 0.831 for consistency for the modified Noyes score. Cartilage pathology was identified in 48.3% of knees, with the most common locations being the patella and trochlea. Previous knee surgery was associated with lateral tibial plateau chondral pathology (odds ratio [OR], 6.58; P = .04). Reduced function scores were predictive of cartilage pathology on the lateral femoral condyle (OR, 0.55; P = .03). Increased pain scores were associated with a nonzero modified Noyes score (OR, 6.11; P < .01).<br />Conclusion: The incidence of pathology identified on knee MRI scans in players at the NBA Draft Combine without clinical symptoms was high, in line with the hypothesis. Little correlation was found between the objective imaging findings and subjective pain, function, and orthopaedic injury history. Clinicians treating high-level athletes should focus on treating clinically significant findings and be cautious about treating pathology found on imaging that may not explain or correlate with symptoms. It remains critical to study the natural history of imaging findings in these athletes to better ascertain the ultimate effect of sport and physiologic load on disease progression. |
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| ISSN: | 1552-3365 |
| DOI: | 10.1177/03635465251381362 |