ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the knees of asymptomatic National Basketball
Association (NBA) players via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and confirm or dispute
findings reported in the previous literature. It is thought that a variety of significant
abnormalities affecting the knee exist in asymptomatic patients and that these findings
can be accurately identified on MRI. Two months prior to the 2005 season, bilateral
knee MRI examinations of 14 asymptomatic NBA players (28 knees) were evaluated for
abnormalities of the articular cartilage, menisci, and patellar and quadriceps tendons.
The presence of joint effusion, subchondral edema, and cystic lesions and the integrity
of the collateral and cruciate ligaments were also assessed.