Background: Clinical test used for the detection of meniscal tears in the knee do not present acceptable diagnostic sensitivity and specificity values. The objective of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the generally used clinical tests. Methods: 88 symptomatic patiens with knee injuries were examined clinically, had radiological imaging studies performed, and underwent arthroscopic surgery. The used tests were the Apley, the McMurray, the Oudard-Jean and the Thessaly tests at 5° and 20° of knee flexion. For all tests, the sensitivity, specificity, false-positive, false-negative, and diagnostic accuracy were calculated and compared with the arthroscopic diagnostic. Results: The Thessaly test at 20° of knee flexion had a high diagnostic accuracy rate of 95% in the detection of the medial and lateral meniscus, and it had a low rate of false-positive and false-negative recordings.
Keywords: clinical tests, meniscal tears, arthropscopy