EARLY RESULTS of SURGICAL REPAIR for POSTTRAUMATIC MENISCAL ROOT TEARS in YOUNG ADULTS

Abstract

A meniscal root tear is defined as a radial tear that occurs within 1 cm of the meniscal horn insertion. Meniscal root tears account for 10.1% of all arthroscopic meniscectomies. It's now proved to be an independent factor for development and progression of osteoarthritis. Supra-physiologic loads have been implicated in the development of degenerative changes of the articular cartilage.

Unfortunately, the clinical diagnosis is quite challenging because the common signs and symptoms associated with meniscal body injury is less likely to manifest in patients with root tears. That's why magnetic resonance imagings combined with arthroscopic examination are the gold standard for accurate meniscal root tears diagnosis.

Arthroscopic meniscal posterior root tear repair is now the gold standard to restore normal meniscal functions, although there's still much controversy about the best way to be used in the repair. Whether to use anchor technique or transtibial pull out suture technique is still not settled and which type of suture configuration as well as suture type to use are still unsolved questions in the research field.

Although, preliminary results are very promising as regard improvement in the functional knee scoring systems and the clinical as well as radiological signs of meniscal root tear healing, long term results, more case series or higher levels studies, and further improvements to the surgical techniques used are still needed to achieve better results.

The current study helped increase the amount of input to the body of this field. The efficacy of medial meniscal posterior root tear repair using the all arthroscopic transosseous pull out sutures technique was rigorously confirmed through both direct and indirect evidences that showed restoration of meniscal integrity as well as restoration of the articular cartilage homeostasis, when properly combined to specific management protocol.