Bucket-handle tears of the meniscus: appearance at CT.

Before undergoing arthroscopy, 222 patients with acute, unilateral knee injuries and strong clinical evidence of a meniscal tear underwent axial computed tomography (CT) of the knee. In 53 patients, a bucket-handle meniscal tear was found, and it was repaired at arthroscopy. In 92.5% (49 of 53) of these knees, CT accurately depicted the type, location, and extent of the tear. CT also demonstrated the displaced meniscal fragment with its relationship to the attached remnant.