Arthroscopic treatment of meniscal cysts

In a series of 1160 arthroscopies we found 16 meniscal cysts; 12 involved the lateral joint line and two the medial, and two were intra-articular. In all but two cases, arthroscopy showed meniscal tears. We recommend arthroscopy of all cases to correct the meniscal lesion, and to evacuate the cyst into the joint by opening the joint capsule. This was successful in 12 cases, with no recurrence after an average follow-up of 18 months. Only two patients with no meniscal lesion on arthroscopy required an additional external incision for cyst removal.