Discoid lateral meniscus tears and concomitant articular cartilage lesions in the knee

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relation between isolated discoid lateral meniscus (DLM) tears and the presence of articular cartilage lesions.

From January 2010 to January 2012, 252 consecutive patients diagnosed with an isolated DLM tear during an arthroscopic procedure were included in this study. Demographic variables, including gender, age, body mass index (BMI), traumatic history, time course, and date of the DLM tear, were recorded. The relation between DLM tears and the presence of articular cartilage lesions was analyzed by the χ(2) test. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the relation between these variables and articular cartilage lesions.

Of the patients with DLM tears, 67 (26.6%) also had articular cartilage lesions. The most common type of DLM tear was the complex tear (46.8%). The most common location of articular cartilage lesions was the lateral tibial plateau (11.6%). Lesions on the opposing articular surfaces of the lateral compartment and patellofemoral joint of the knee were found in 12 patients (4.8%) and 11 patients (4.4%), respectively. There were no significant differences in the incidences of articular cartilage lesions in patients with different types of DLM tears (P > .05). Gender (odds ratio [OR], 2.289; P = .012), BMI (OR, 1.991; P = .023), and time course (OR, 2.050; P = .034) were significantly associated with articular cartilage lesions.

DLM tears were more common in the context of degenerative tears. There was no significant difference in the incidence of articular cartilage lesions among patients with different types of DLM tears. Female patients, patients with a BMI greater than 23.0 kg/m(2), or patients with a time course of greater than 6 months were more frequently observed to also have articular cartilage lesions.

Level IV, therapeutic case series.