FUNCTIONAL EVOLUTION OF MENISCAL REPAIR USING ABSORBABLE IMPLANTS

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Sports Medicine
• Biomaterials Science

Background:

• Longitudinal meniscal ruptures can impair knee function.
• Absorbable implants offer a potential solution for meniscal repair.
• Evaluating functional outcomes is crucial for assessing repair efficacy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the functional evolution of knees following longitudinal meniscal rupture repair using an absorbable arrow implant.
• To determine the impact of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) status on knee function after meniscal repair.

Main Methods:

• Prospective evaluation of 23 patients (mean age 26.3 years) undergoing meniscal repair with absorbable arrow implants.
• Follow-up averaged 72.87 months, with pre- and postoperative functional assessments using the Lysholm scale and International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) criteria.
• Patients were analyzed in three groups based on ACL injury and reconstruction status.

Main Results:

• Significant improvement in Lysholm scale scores (57.53 to 86.95, p < 0.01) post-repair.
• Overall, only two cases (8.7%) experienced meniscal repair failure.
• No statistically significant difference in knee stabilization was found between patients with and without ACL reconstruction (p = 0.648).

Conclusions:

• Absorbable arrow implants are effective for repairing longitudinal meniscal ruptures, leading to significant functional improvement.
• The presence or absence of ACL injury and reconstruction did not negatively bias the outcomes of meniscal repair.
• The study demonstrates a favorable functional recovery and low failure rate for this meniscal repair technique.