Concomitant meniscal and articular cartilage lesions in the femorotibial joint

The frequency of concomitant meniscal and articular cartilage lesions in the femorotibial joint was analyzed in a retrospective study of 1740 knee joints examined arthroscopically with the objective of determining possible correlations between the two knee joint abnormalities. Articular cartilage lesions were found in 81.4% (N = 1416) of femorotibial joints examined and meniscal derangements were noted in 72.8% (N = 1268). In the medial compartment, concomitance was noted in 76.3% (821 of 1076) on the femoral condyles and in 48.6% (523 of 1076) on the tibial plateau. In the lateral compartment, 43.1% (212 of 492) of the knees with deranged menisci had femoral and 55.1% (271 of 492) had tibial articular lesions. Medial meniscal lesions were more frequently associated with femoral and tibial chondral degeneration than lateral meniscal derangements (P < 0.001). Longitudinal, bucket-handle, and complex tears of the medial meniscus were significantly more often associated with articular cartilage damage than horizontal cleavage, flap, or radial tears. Degeneration of the meniscus was highly correlated with chondral destruction in both compartments. No cause-and-effect relationship could be established, but practical implications of these findings are discussed.