Improved Outcomes After Reinforced Radial Meniscus Repair Augmented With Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Sports Medicine
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Radial meniscus tears often lead to pain and functional deficits.
• Surgical repair aims to restore meniscus integrity and knee function.
• Advanced techniques and biologics are explored to enhance healing and outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the clinical outcomes of surgical repair for radial meniscus tears using the reinforced suture bar (rebar) technique.
• To assess the efficacy of bone marrow aspirate concentrate augmentation in meniscus repair.
• To analyze improvements in pain, function, and return to activity post-rebar repair.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective study of patients undergoing rebar repair for radial meniscus tears.
• Minimum 12-month follow-up with collection of Lysholm, IKDC Subjective Knee Form, and Tegner scale scores.
• Analysis of pain scores, functional outcomes, and return to preinjury activity levels.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements in pain scores (P < .001) and IKDC scores (P = .021) at 1 year.
• Lysholm scores also showed significant improvement (P = .025).
• 100% of patients exceeded the minimal clinically important difference (MCID), and 88% achieved the patient acceptable symptomatic state.

Conclusions:

• The rebar technique augmented with bone marrow aspirate concentrate demonstrates favorable outcomes for radial meniscus tears.
• The procedure effectively reduces pain and enhances knee function.
• Patients successfully return to high preinjury activity levels within one year post-surgery.