Early outcome of medial meniscus posterior root repair in elderly- a clinical and radiological study

Abstract

Meniscus functions as a load distribution, shock absorption, proprioception, lubrication, and stabilization. Meniscal roots anchor the medial and lateral menisci to the tibial plateau, allowing the meniscus to disperse axial loads into hoop stresses. Currently, repair of meniscus root is the treatment of choice for meniscus root tears. The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical and radiological outcome of medial meniscus posterior root repair in elderly patients. Material and Methods: It is a prospective clinical and radiological study in 10 consecutive patients, who met the inclusion criteria and operated between June 2017 to June 2018 by a single surgeon. Patients were followed up for clinical and radiological evaluation by MRI. Duration of follow up ranges from 24 to 36 months. Results: Of the 10 patients (2 male and 8 female) with the mean age of 64 years. Mean follow-up period is 30 months. Mean BMI of the patients is 26.14 + 1.95 kg/m2. The difference in pre-operative and post-operative patient’s IKDC and Lysholm scores are significant (p value < 0.05). 2 patient showed complete healing of meniscus root, 8 patients showed partial healing and there was no repeat tear. Meniscus extrusion decreased from 5.2 + 0.8 mm preoperatively to 4.13 + 0.55 mm postoperatively. Conclusion: In this study, the outcomes after posterior medial meniscus root repair in elderly results in significant improvements in function, symptoms of pain, and activity level in spite of partial root healing in MRI in this short term follow up.