Deep flexion helps to avoid popliteal artery injury during all-inside lateral meniscal repair: A cadaveric study

Arthroscopic meniscus repair rarely leads to major complications such as popliteal artery injury. The distance between the suturing device and the popliteal artery, and the risk of popliteal artery injury at different knee flexion angles during all-inside lateral meniscal repair remain unclear.

All-inside devices were inserted into 10 human cadaveric knees at the posterior horn of the lateral meniscus through the anterolateral portal at 60°, 90°, and 120° knee flexion; posterior segment of the lateral meniscus through the anterolateral portal at 60°, 90°, and 120°; and anteromedial portal at 90°. Distance and positional relationship between the device and popliteal artery were measured radiographically.

In posterior horn repair through the anterolateral portal, the median distance increased from 5.7 mm at 60° to 9.1 mm at 90° (P = 0.63) and 18.0 mm at 120° (P = 0.02). The device pushed the wire at 60° in three cases, 90° in one case, and 120° in 0 cases. In posterior segment repair through the anterolateral portal, the median distance was 12.6 mm at 60°, 10.4 mm at 90°, and 18.3 mm at 120° (P = 0.08). The median distance at 90° was 18.1 mm through the anteromedial portal, the same as that at 120° through the anterolateral portal (P = 0.43), but greater than that at 90° through the anterolateral portal (P = 0.04). The wire was not pushed in any case.

Although all-inside repair of the posterior part of the lateral meniscus through the anterolateral portal is risky, deeper knee flexion reduces the risk of popliteal artery injury.