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Published in: Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research® 5/2010

01-05-2010 | Symposium: Current Issues in Knee Reconstruction

Outcomes of Meniscal Preservation Using All-inside Meniscus Repair Devices

Authors: Sujith Konan, MRCS, Fares S. Haddad, MCh, FRCS (T&O)

Published in: Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research® | Issue 5/2010

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Abstract

Background

The thrust of meniscal surgery has now moved toward meniscal preservation. Repair is particularly indicated on the lateral side where the sequelae of resection are severe even in an older patient population.

Questions/purposes

The aim of this study was to analyze the success of all-inside meniscus repairs in a carefully selected patient population.

Methods

Three hundred twelve repairs were performed in 288 patients with a mean age of 32 years (range, 17–46 years). One hundred seventy-one lateral menisci and 141 medial menisci were repaired. The minimum followup was 12 months (mean, 18 months; range, 12–55 months). Medicolegal cases, major trauma, and knee dislocations were excluded. Failure was defined as persistent meniscal symptoms beyond 16 weeks, an MRI diagnosis of a nonhealed meniscal tear beyond 52 weeks, reoperation for the meniscal tear, and failure to return to the patient’s previous functional level.

Results

There were three painful capsular sutures that required removal, two cases of complex regional pain syndrome, and two deep venous thromboses. The repair failed in 6% of cases with associated ACL reconstruction and 14.1% of cases without ACL reconstruction. Repeat surgery was typically performed at a mean of 16 months (range, 1–44 months).

Conclusions

At short-term followup, all-inside meniscus repairs have good outcomes in the majority of highly selected cases, although this was a very selected cohort with a large number of associated ACL reconstructions.

Level of Evidence

Level IV, therapeutic study. See Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
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Metadata
Title
Outcomes of Meniscal Preservation Using All-inside Meniscus Repair Devices
Authors
Sujith Konan, MRCS
Fares S. Haddad, MCh, FRCS (T&O)
Publication date
01-05-2010
Publisher
Springer-Verlag
Published in
Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research® / Issue 5/2010
Print ISSN: 0009-921X
Electronic ISSN: 1528-1132
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11999-009-1184-0

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