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Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Clinical Outcomes Following Meniscus Repair in Patients 40 Years and Older
Matthew J Sedgwick1, Christopher Saunders1, Alan M J Getgood2,3,4
1Smith+Nephew, Hull, UK.
Background:
Meniscal repair has been associated with long-term benefit in patients compared with meniscectomy. As a generalization, meniscal repair in older patients is less likely to be successful, leading to reduced adoption of meniscal repair compared with younger patients.
Purpose:
To establish the clinical performance of meniscal repair in "older" patients (age, ≥40 years) and compare it with performance in "younger" patients (age, <40 years).
Study Design:
Systematic review; Level of evidence, 4.
Methods:
A systematic literature review was performed in September 2021 using Embase and PubMed to identify published English-language studies that reported on a meniscal repair in >5 patients aged ≥40 years. Outcomes of interest were success/failure rate (as defined by the study), revision meniscal procedure rate, and patient-reported outcomes. Meta-analyses were used to synthesize outcomes across all studies in older patients. Meta-analyses were also used to compare outcomes between older and younger patients across studies, providing data on both age groups.
Results:
Fourteen studies were identified. Meniscal repair in older patients was determined to have a failure rate of 12% (95% CI, 7.3% to 19.4%) and a revision meniscal procedure rate of 9.8% (95% CI, 6.2% to 15.0%). The postoperative Lysholm score was 86.7 (95% CI, 81.7 to 91.7). No statistically significant differences were observed between older and younger patients in failure rate (relative risk [RR], 0.73 [95% CI, 0.44 to 1.21]; P = .2205), revision meniscal procedure rate (RR, 0.69 [95% CI, 0.41 to 1.16]; P = .1613), or Lysholm scores (mean difference, 2.3 [95% CI, -4.7 to 9.2]; P = .5278, 4 studies).
Conclusion:
Meniscal repair in selected patients aged ≥40 years resulted in good success rates and patient-reported outcome measures, which appear similar to those reported for patients aged <40 years. Therefore, meniscal repairs can be performed in at least a specific portion of "older" patients, and age per se should not be the sole determining factor in whether to perform a meniscal repair.
