Popliteal cysts: a reassessment using magnetic resonance imaging

The advent of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) prompted the reevaluation of the incidence of popliteal cyst and its associated injuries. We reviewed more than 1000 consecutive MRI examinations of the knee performed on patients referred for evaluation of internal derangement. We report a 5% incidence of popliteal cyst, which is lower than has previously been determined. We believe that the reported higher incidence was due to arthrographic distention of normal, collapsed bursae. The strong association between popliteal cyst and tear of the medial meniscus is confirmed. We report for the first time to our knowledge the 13% association between popliteal cyst and complete tear of the anterior cruciate ligament.