Midterm Outcomes of Posterior Medial Meniscus Root Tear Repair: A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Sports Medicine
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Growing interest in surgical repair for posterior medial meniscus root tears (PMMRTs).
• Limited understanding of medium- and long-term outcomes following PMMRT repair.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate midterm clinical outcomes of PMMRT repairs.
• Synthesize current evidence on functional and imaging results after PMMRT surgery.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review conducted following PRISMA guidelines.
• Literature search for studies reporting arthroscopic PMMRT repair outcomes.
• Analysis of functional scores and radiographic/MRI findings.

Main Results:

• 28 studies including 994 patients (mean age 57.1, 83% female) were analyzed.
• Significant improvements in clinical outcome scores (Lysholm, IKDC, HSS, Tegner) were observed.
• Radiographic osteoarthritis progression (Kellgren-Lawrence grade ≥1) occurred in 49% of patients at a mean of 4.0 years.
• MRI-confirmed cartilage degeneration (grade ≥1) was noted in 23% of patients at a mean of 31.6 months.

Conclusions:

• PMMRT repair offers functional benefits with consistent improvements in clinical scores.
• Evidence suggests PMMRT repair may slow, but not halt, osteoarthritis progression at midterm follow-up.