Meniscal repair using an all-inside, rapidly absorbing, tensionable device

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic surgery
• Sports medicine
• Biomaterials

Background:

• Meniscal tears are common injuries, often treated concurrently with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction.
• All-inside meniscal repair techniques aim to preserve meniscal function and promote healing.
• The development of rapidly absorbing fixation devices offers potential advantages in meniscal repair.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the clinical success rate of all-inside meniscal repairs using a rapidly absorbing polydioxanone device.
• To assess the efficacy of this technique in patients undergoing concurrent ACL reconstruction.

Main Methods:

• A case series of 30 patients (38 meniscal tears) undergoing all-inside meniscal repair with a polydioxanone device during ACL reconstruction.
• Clinical evaluation at 2 years post-surgery using the International Knee Documentation Committee form and Knee Disorders Subjective History visual analog scale.
• Physical examinations included effusion assessment, joint line tenderness, McMurray's testing, and KT-1000 arthrometry.

Main Results:

• An overall clinical success rate of 86.8% (33 of 38 tears) was observed at a mean follow-up of 30.4 months.
• Univariate analysis identified male sex as the only significant predictor of repair failure.
• Tear characteristics, duration, compartment, zone, graft choice, and patient demographics did not predict failure.

Conclusions:

• The polydioxanone RapidLoc device demonstrates an 86.8% clinical success rate for all-inside meniscal repair.
• Rapidly absorbing polydioxanone devices are effective for all-inside meniscal repair in the context of concurrent ACL reconstruction.