The meniscal "pseudocyst" - A clinical sign of a torn meniscus

We report a study of 636 patients requiring knee surgery, all of whom under went detailed preoperative assessment. Fifty-eight patients had a clinical sign of a lump on the joint line when the knee was examined at 45 degrees o f flexion, which has been thought to indicate a meniscal cyst. Of these 58 patients, however, only 30 patients had a meniscal cyst demonstrated at sur gery. The remaining 28 patients had a meniscal tear without a cyst. In thes e 28 cases, the clinical sign of a lump protruding from the joint line was termed a "pseudocyst." This new clinical sign is important because of its f requency of occurrence and the complete correlation with meniscal tears req uiring surgical intervention.