Outcomes of Arthroscopic All-Inside Repair Versus Observation in Older Patients With Meniscus Root Tears

Meniscus root tears lead to de-tensioning of the meniscus, increased contact forces, and cartilage damage. Management of older patients with root tears is controversial and the efficacy of different treatment options is unclear.

To compare the clinical outcomes of patients with moderate knee osteoarthritis who underwent an all-inside meniscus root repair technique versus nonoperative management for either medial or lateral meniscus root tears.

Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2.

Patients with a diagnosed posterior meniscus root tear who underwent arthroscopic repair (AR: 30 knees) or nonoperative treatment with observation (O: 18 knees) were followed for a minimum of 2 years (mean follow-up, 4.4 years). The arthroscopic repair included all-inside sutures to reduce the root back to its remnant (reduction sutures), thereby re-tensioning the meniscus, and 1 mattress suture to strengthen the repair by reapproximating the construct to the posterior capsule. The data collected included the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), Lysholm, Tegner, and Veterans RAND 12-Item Health Survey (VR-12) Physical Component Summary (PCS) and Mental Component Summary (MCS) scores and conversion to total knee arthroplasty (TKA).

Medial meniscus root tears comprised 80.0% of the AR group and 77.8% of the O group. The average Kellgren-Lawrence grade was 2 in both groups. The baseline scores for the KOOS Symptoms subscale were lower for AR (50.2 ± 19.3) than for O (66.5 ± 16.1) (P = .003), as were the KOOS Knee-Related Quality of Life scores (AR, 26.7 ± 16.1; O, 39.6 ± 22.1) (P = .046). No differences were found between groups for the absolute values at follow-up except that follow-up Tegner scores were lower in the O group than in the AR group (P = .004). Significant improvements were seen in the AR group from baseline to ultimate follow-up in average KOOS subscale scores (P < .001), Lysholm scores (P < .001), Tegner scores (P = .0002), and VR-12 PCS scores (P < .001), whereas the O group had a significant improvement only in average KOOS Pain (P = .003), KOOS Function in Daily Living (P = .006), and VR-12 PCS (P = .038) scores. Compared with the O group, the AR group had a significantly larger improvement from baseline to follow-up in average KOOS Pain (P = .009), KOOS Symptoms (P = .029), and Lysholm scores (P = .016). During follow-up, 3.3% of the AR group underwent a TKA compared with 33.3% of the O group (P = .008). The hazard ratio of TKA conversion was 93.2% lower for the AR group compared with the O group (P = .013).

All-inside medial or lateral meniscus root repair showed improved functional outcomes and decreased TKA conversion rates compared with nonoperative treatment and may be considered as a treatment option for the management of meniscus root tears in older patients with moderate osteoarthritis.