Subchondral insufficiency fracture is a predictive factor of osteoarthritis progression and conversion to arthroplasty in non-surgically treated medial meniscus root tear

To investigate the radiographic and clinical outcomes of non-surgical treatment for medial meniscus posterior root tear (MMPRT), and prognostic factors for osteoarthritis (OA) progression and clinical failure.

A prospectively collected database was retrospectively reviewed for patients who were diagnosed with acute medial meniscus posterior root tear (MMPRT) between 2013 and 2021 and treated non-surgically for more than 2 years. Patient demographic characteristics and clinical outcomes including pain numeric rating scale (NRS), International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) subjective score, Lysholm score, and Tegner activity scale were evaluated. For radiographic evaluation, knee radiographs were obtained to assess the angle of knee alignment and Kellgren–Lawrence (K–L) grade during the first and annually follow-up visits. Baseline magnetic resonance (MR) images were reviewed for the presence of medial meniscus extrusion, bone marrow edema, subchondral insufficiency fracture of medial femoral condyle, and cartilage lesion. The OA progression group was defined as patients who experienced a worsening of one or more grades in the K–L classification system. Prognostic factors were evaluated for OA progression and conversion to total knee arthroplasty (TKA).

Ninety-four patients (90 female and 4 male) with a mean age of 67.0 ± 7.3 years (range, 53–83 years) were followed for a mean of 46.1 ± 22.1 months (range, 24.1–170.5). During the follow-up period, no significant differences in clinical scores were observed, and there were also no significant differences between the groups with and without OA progression. Overall, 12 patients (13%) underwent TKA at a mean of 20.7 ± 16.5 months (range, 8–69 months) and 34 patients (36%) demonstrated OA progression at a mean time of 24 ± 15 months (range, 12–62). The subchondral insufficiency fracture was a prognostic factor for OA progression (p = 0.045 for knee radiograph and p = 0.019 for MR) and conversion to TKA (RR, 4.08 [95% CI 1.23–13.57]; p = 0.022).

Non-surgical treatment for acute medial meniscus posterior root tear did not result in any significant change in clinical outcomes from the initial to the final follow-up. The rate of conversion to arthroplasty was 13%, and the rate of osteoarthritis progression was 36%. Furthermore, subchondral insufficiency fracture was found to be a concomitant prognostic factor correlated with OA progression and conversion to arthroplasty. This information can provide insights for physicians when discussing treatment options with patients, particularly regarding the use of non-surgical treatment and may contribute as a source for future studies of medial meniscus posterior root tear.

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