Augmentation of Meniscal Repair With Marrow Stimulation Techniques (Microfractures)

Launched by CENTRE OF POSTGRADUATE MEDICAL EDUCATION · Dec 22, 2014

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

The role of meniscal in the knee integrity is pivotal and lack or partial role of the meniscus increases rate of joint degeneration. Partial meniscal removal is the most popular procedure and meniscal repair remain in minority of arthroscopic surgeries. As criteria of inclusion to meniscal repair are very rough, still success rates of meniscal repair remain in the 60-80% range for isolated repairs. This rate is greater when performed with ACL reconstruction. We believe that augmentation with bone marrow stimulation techniques will induce more complete and possibly faster healing.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Complete vertical longitudinal tear \> 10 mm in length
• • Tear located in the vascular portion of the meniscus, only in red-white zone
• • Unstable peripheral tear
• • Single tear of the medial and/or lateral meniscus
• • Meniscal injury 1 -18 month prior surgery
• • Planned second step arthroscopy (ACL reconstruction)
• • Skeletally mature patients 18-55 years of age
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • discoid meniscus
• • arthritic changes (Kellgren Lawrence scale \>2)
• • non repairable meniscus
• • degenerative or presence of crystals in meniscus
• • concomitant procedure (acl reconstruction, microfracturing, trephination)
• • inflammatory diseases (i.e. rheumatoid arthritis)