Study purpose? This study involved a review of medical literature to learn whether patients with traumatic meniscal tears have less complications and better short-term and long-term outcomes if their meniscus is repaired versus partially removed.
Who participated? The researchers reviewed articles about patient studies that met the following criteria:
- Published between 1989 and 2010
- Included patients with no prior knee injury or surgery
- Included outcomes with meniscal repair or with partial meniscus removal
Outcomes? The researchers compared re-operation rate and knee function for patients who had their meniscus repaired versus those who had their meniscus partial removed.
Timeframe? The researchers looked at both short-term outcomes (0-4 years after surgery) and long- term outcomes (10 or more years after surgery).
Main findings?
- Short-term outcomes for all patients: Higher re-operation rate for meniscus repair (16.5%) than partial meniscus removal (1.4%)
- Long-term outcomes for all patients: Higher re-operation rate for meniscus repair (20.7%) than partial meniscus removal (3.9%)
- Patients who had meniscal repairs were less likely to have osteoarthritis progression (22%) compared to those with partial meniscus removals (36%)
Key message: This study shows that patients who have meniscal repairs may be more likely to require a re-operation than those with partial removal of the meniscus. However, they are also more likely to have better long-term outcomes.
