Meniscus Root Repairs Are Associated With High Rates of Postoperative Deep Vein Thrombosis.

Background: There is a lack of research specifically looking at the rates of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) in patients undergoing meniscal repair. Many studies view arthroscopic knee surgery as a single group including meniscal debridement, meniscal repair, and chondral surgery, as well as ligament reconstruction.

Hypothesis: Patients who underwent meniscal repair, specifically meniscus root repair, at >40 years old would have higher rates of DVT and PE than those who underwent meniscal debridement regardless of age and meniscal repair at ≤40 years old.

Study design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods: This study analyzed patients between the ages of 8 and 80 years who underwent arthroscopic meniscal repair versus meniscectomy at a single center. These 2 groups were then subdivided into patients who were >40 years of age and those ≤40 years of age. The 4 groups then had the rates of postoperative DVT and PE recorded and compared and the risk factors for DVT and PE analyzed.

Results: Patients who underwent meniscal repair at >40 years of age were found to have significantly higher rates of DVT (P < .01) than those who underwent debridement regardless of age and those that underwent repair ≤40 years old (P = .02). All DVTs and PEs in the meniscal repair group >40 years old were in patients who had meniscus root repairs with a DVT incidence of 10.7% and PE incidence of 3.6%. Risk factors for the development of DVT were age as well as history of DVT.

Conclusion: Meniscal repairs, specifically root repairs, in patients aged >40 years had high rates of DVT, which has not been documented in the literature.