A bucket handle tear is present in the lateral meniscus. The bucket handle tear fragment is displaced anteriorly. A moderate joint effusion is also noted.
Bucket handle tear of the lateral meniscus.
A bucket handle tear is a vertical, longitudinal tear that can result in the inner free edge of the meniscus becoming displaced into the intercondylar notch. These kinds of tears most frequently occur within the medial meniscus. A normal meniscus is approximately 10 to 12 mm in width and if sagittal images are obtained at 4 to 5 mm intervals, the bow tie shape of the meniscus is generally seen on two contiguous sagittal images. On the coronal images a bucket handle tear may show the meniscus to be shortened and truncated. However, as the torn meniscus remodels the truncation may not be appreciated.