Objective To investigate the medium-term clinical outcome of encircled suture for repair of medial meniscus bucket-handle tear (BHT). Methods Between March 2011 and June 2013, 78 patients (78 knees) with medial meniscus BHT were treated with encircled suture under arthroscopy. There were 57 males and 21 females with a mean age of 28.3 years (range, 16-39 years). The causes included sports injury in 61 cases, traffic accident injury in 12 cases, and other trauma in 5 cases. Of 78 cases, 35 were acute injury and 43 were chronic injury; 65 cases had combined injury of anterior cruciate ligament rupture. International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score, Lysholm score, and Tegner score were 48.2±6.3, 43.6±4.7, and 2.5±0.6, respectively. Barrett’s assessment standard, MRI, and arthroscopy examination were used for assessment of meniscus healing. IKDC score, Lysholm score, and Tegner score were used for assessment of knee function. Results Primary healing of incisions were achieved in all patients, and no complications occurred. All patients were followed up 26-63 months (mean, 42.8 months). BHT recurrence was observed in 2 patients within 1 year. Clinical healing of meniscus tear was obtained in 72 cases (92.3%) according to Barrett’s assessment standard. The IKDC score, Lysholm score, and Tegner score were significantly improved to 81.5±5.1, 86.9±3.9, and 6.2±0.5 respectively (t=–14.598,P=0.000;t=–18.478,P=0.000;t=–3.362,P=0.002). MRI results showed complete healing in 56 cases, incomplete healing in 15 cases, and unhealing in 7 cases at last follow-up, with a total healing rate of 91.0% (71/78) and a complete healing rate of 71.8% (56/78). In 21 cases undergoing arthroscopy at 18-49 months after operation, complete healing and incomplete healing were observed in 17 cases and 4 cases respectively, with a total healing rate of 100% (21/21) and a complete healing rate of 81.0% (17/21). No re-tear occurred. Conclusion Encircled suture for repair of medial meniscus BHT owns the advantage of firm suturing and good blood supply which can obtain satisfactory medium-term clinical results.
ObjectiveTo explore the relationship between anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction failure and medial meniscus injury and decide whether medial meniscus injury could be the judgment index for ACL reconstruction failure without trauma history. MethodsBetween March 2011 and December 2015, 117 patients underwent ACL reconstruction, and the clinical data were analyzed retrospectively. All patients had no trauma history after ACL resconstruction. MRI examination showed medial meniscus injury in 56 cases (observation group) and no medial meniscus injury in 61 cases (control group). There was no significant difference in gender, age, side, reconstructive surgery, and follow-up time between 2 groups (P>0.05). The KT-2000 arthrometer was used to measure the difference value of tibial anterior displacement between two knees in 30° knee flexion. Then wether the ACL reconsruction failure was judged according to the evaluation criteria proposed by Rijke et al. ResultsIn observation group, the difference value of tibial anterior displacement was <3 mm in 7 patients, 3-5 mm in 11 patients, and >5 mm in 38 patients. In control group, the difference value of tibial anterior displacement was <3 mm in 31 patients, 3-5 mm in 18 patients, and >5 mm in 12 patients. The ACL reconstruction failure rate of observation group (67.9%) was significantly higher than that of control group (19.7%) (χ2=27.700, P=0.000). ConclusionAfter ACL reconstruction, medial meniscus injury occurs under no trauma history circumstances, indicating ACL reconstruction failure.
Objective To evaluate the clinical diagnostic value of knee MRI at 90° flexed position for Ramp lesions of medial meniscus. Methods A total of 228 patients with knee pain as the main complaint who were admitted between September 2021 and September 2023 was selected as the research subjects, of which 51 patients met the selection criteria and were enrolled in the study. There were 31 males and 20 females with an average age of 38.6 years (range, 15-67 years). Body mass index was 17.2-28.7 kg/m2 (mean, 23.9 kg/m2). There were 25 cases of left knee and 36 cases of right knee. The time from injury to admission was 0.1-14.3 weeks (mean, 2.1 weeks). Preoperative knee MRI at fully extended position (knee extension position) and 90° flexed position (knee flexion position) were performed to determine the presence of irregular signs at the posterior edge of the medial meniscus, and PHMM fluid high signal [i.e. complete fluid filling between the posterior horn of the medial meniscus (PHMM) and the capsule margin]. Findings obtained under arthroscopy served as the “gold standard” to analyze the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of MRI at knee extension and flexion positions for the two specific signs of Ramp lesion.Results Twenty-one patients (41.2%) were diagnosed with Ramp lesions by using arthroscopy, including 1 case of Thaunat type Ⅰ, 2 cases of type Ⅱ, 6 cases of type Ⅲ, 7 cases of type Ⅳ, and 5 cases of type Ⅴ. The positive rates of irregular signs at the posterior edge of the medial meniscus on MRI at knee extension and flexion positions were significantly different from the diagnosis of Ramp injury under arthroscopy (P<0.05). The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, PPV, and NPV of MRI in the diagnosis of irregular signs were 76.1%, 60.0%, 66.7%, 57.1%, and 78.3% respectively at knee extension position, and 85.7%, 73.3%, 78.4%, 69.2%, and 88.0% respectively at knee flexion position. The positive rates of PHMM fluid high signal on MRI at knee extension and flexion positions were significantly different from the diagnosis of Ramp injury under arthroscopy (P<0.05). The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, PPV, and NPV of MRI in diagnosing PHMM fluid high signal were 38.1%, 100%, 74.5%, 100%, and 69.8% respectively at knee extension position, and 85.7%, 100%, 94.1%, 100%, and 90.9% respectively at knee flexion position. ConclusionKnee MRI at 90° flexed position improves the diagnostic performance of the detection of medial meniscal Ramp lesions compared with MRI at fully extended position.
Objective To examine the research status and predict trends in ME research findings from 1997-2023 on a global scale. Methods Web of Science Core Collection database was searched for original articles on ME published between 1997 and 2023, and then analyzed using CiteSpace, VOSviewer and the Online Analysis Platform of Literature Metrology to map scientific knowledge. Results A total of 748 articles were eventually included. The number of ME publications increased year by year, with the USA being the most productive country. Osteoarthritis, MRI, medial meniscus posterior root repair, biomechanical evaluation, lateral meniscus allograft transplantation, radiographic joint space narrowing are the high frequency keywords in co-occurrence cluster analysis and cocited reference cluster analysis. Medial meniscus posterior root tear and lateral meniscus allograft transplantation are current and evolving research hotspots in citation burst detection analysis. Conclusions The understanding of ME has been improved significantly during the past decades. Current research focuses on optimizing surgical repair methods and obtaining long-term follow-up outcomes for medial meniscal posterior root repair and developing methods to reduce ME after lateral meniscal allograft, as well as they are the highlights of future research on ME.
ObjectiveTo compare the short-term effectiveness of suture hook suture via double posteromedial approaches and Fast-Fix total internal suture in treatment of Ramp lesions. Methods A clinical data of 56 patients with anterior cruciate ligament rupture combined with Ramp lesions, who met the selection criteria and admitted between December 2021 and February 2023, was retrospectively analyzed. The Ramp lesions were sutured using suture hook via double posteromedial approaches under arthroscopy in 28 cases (group A) and treated with Fast-Fix total internal suture under arthroscopy in 28 cases (group B). There was no significant difference in age, gender, cause of injury, type of injury, time from injury to operation, side of injury, body mass index, and preoperative Lysholm score, visual analogue scale (VAS) score, and Tegner score between the two groups (P>0.05). The patients were followed up regularly after operation, and the clinical and imaging healing of the Ramp lesion was evaluated according to the Barrett clinical healing standard and the MRI evaluation standard. Lysholm score, VAS score, and Tegner score were used to evaluate the function and pain degree of knee joint, and the results were compared with those before operation. ResultsThe incisions of the two groups healed by first intention. All patients were followed up 12-18 months (mean, 14.9 months). Postoperative McMurray tests were negative in both groups. The clinical healing rates of group A and group B were 71.4% (20/28) and 64.3% (18/28) at 6 months after operation, and 92.9% (26/28) and 82.1% (23/28) at 12 months after operation, respectively. The differences between the two groups was not significant (χ2=0.327, P=0.567; χ2=0.469, P=0.225). There was no significant difference in Lysholm score, VAS score, and Tegner score between the two groups at each time point after operation (P>0.05). The postoperative scores in the two groups significantly improved when compared with those before operation, and the scores at 12 months after operation further improved when compared with those at 6 months after operation, showing significant differences between the different time points in the two groups (P<0.05). At last follow-up, MRI examination of the knee joint showed that there were 26 (92.9%), 2 (7.1%), and 0 (0) cases of complete healing, partial healing, and nonunion in the Ramp lesion of group A, and 25 (89.3%), 1 (3.6%), and 2 (7.1%) cases in group B, respectively. There was no significant difference between the two groups (Z=−0.530, P=0.596). ConclusionSuture hook suture via double posteromedial approaches and Fast-Fix total internal suture under arthroscopy are safe and reliable in the treatment of Ramp lesion, and the knee joint function significantly improves after operation.
Objective To investigate the effectiveness of double-needle suture for mixed meniscus tear repair under arthroscope. Methods Between April 2006 and January 2011, 22 patients with mixed meniscus tear were treated with double-needle suture under arthroscope. There were 14 males and 8 females, aged 18-41 years (mean, 31.3 years). All injuries were caused by sports. The time between injury and admission ranged from 2 days to 4 years (median, 11 months). International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score was 42.5 ± 15.2, Lysholm score was 45.5 ± 13.5, and Tegner score was 2.9 ± 1.6. Seventeen cases complicated with anterior cruciate ligament injury. Results Healing of incision by first intention was achieved in all patients. No injury of nerve and blood occurred. The patients were followed up 12-48 months with an average of 27.6 months. According to Barrett et al. standard, 19 cases (86%) got clinical healing. The IKDC, Lysholm, and Tegner scores were improved to 77.1 ± 8.9, 79.8 ± 9.9, and 6.8 ± 1.6 respectively at last follow-up, showing significant differences when compared with preoperative scores (P lt; 0.05). Conclusion Arthroscopic meniscus repair using double-needle suture can provide good effectiveness because it has high firmness.
Objective To observe the outcome of arthroscopic meniscal plasty and suture repair to treat torn discoid lateral meniscus involving popl iteal hiatus. Methods Between January 2008 and May 2009, 21 cases of torn discoid lateral meniscus involving popl iteal hiatus were treated by arthroscopic surgery. There were 9 males and 12 females with an average ageof 22.5 years (range, 12-45 years), including 12 left knees and 9 right knees. Seven cases had the history of injury and other 14 cases had uncertain trauma. The average disease duration was 6.4 months (range, 3 months to 2 years). All patients complained knee pain or locking with positive McMurray test and mill ing test before surgery. All cases had torn discoid lateral meniscus, and the tear extended to the popl iteal hiatus, including 17 cases of complete type and 4 cases of incomplete type according to the Watanabe classification. After meniscal plasty, suture repair of torn popl iteal lateral hiatus was performed. The anterior part to hiatus was repaired by the outside-in technique, and the posterior part underwent repair of all inside technique by FasTFix. Results All wounds healed by first intention with no compl ications such as infection, stiffness of knee, or injury of common peroneal nerve. All patients were followed up 12-28 months with an average of 18 months. The symptoms of knee pain or locking disappeared postoperatively with negative McMurray test and mill ing test in all patients. The Lysholm score was improved from 54.0 ± 13.4 to 90.0 ± 6.6 at 12 months postoperatively, showing significant difference (t=— 12.00, P=0.00). Based on the improved Lysholm classification standard, the results were excellent in 14 cases, good in 5, and fair in 2; the excellent and good rate was 90.5%. Conclusion For torn discoid lateral meniscus involving popl iteal hiatus, based on meniscal plasty, suture repair of the popl iteal hiatus would contribute to preserve the peripheral part and restore its stabil ity.
Objective To review the research progress of meniscus repair in recent years, in order to provide help for the clinical decision-making of meniscus injury treatment. Methods The domestic and foreign literature related to meniscal repair in recent years was extensively reviewed to summarize the reasons for the prevalence of meniscal repair, surgical indications, various repair methods and long-term effectiveness, the need to deal with mechanical structural abnormalities, biological enhancement repair technology, rehabilitation treatment, and so on. Results In order to delay the occurrence of osteoarthritis, the best treatment of meniscus has undergone an important change from partial meniscectomy to meniscal repair, and the indications for meniscal repair have been expanding. The mid- and long-term effectiveness of different meniscal repair methods are ideal. During meniscus repair, the abnormality of lower limb force line and meniscus protrusion should be corrected at the same time. There are controversies about the biological enhancement technology to promote meniscus healing and rehabilitation programs, which need further study. ConclusionMeniscal repair can restore the normal mechanical conduction of lower limbs and reduce the incidence of traumatic osteoarthritis, but the poor blood supply and healing ability of meniscal tissue bring difficulties to meniscal repair. Further development of new biological enhanced repair technology and individualized rehabilitation program and verification of its effectiveness will be an important research direction.
Objective To explore the effectiveness of arthroscopic All-inside single needle vertical suture technique in treatment of complete radial tear of the meniscus. Methods Between January 2019 and January 2022, 18 patients (18 knees) with complete radial tear of the meniscus were treated by using arthroscopic All-inside single needle vertical suture technique. Among them, there were 12 males and 6 females with an average age of 37.1 years (range, 16-50 years). The causes of radial meniscus tears included the sports injuries in 11 cases, sprains/falls in 4 cases, and traffic accident injuries in 3 cases. The interval between injury and operation was 3-25 days (mean, 11.7 days). All patients had knee joint pain. Knee joint tenderness and McMurray sign were both positive. MRI showed the 15 cases of lateral meniscus tear and 3 cases of medial meniscus tear; 15 cases of anterior cruciate ligament injury, 1 case of posterior cruciate ligament injury, and 15 cases of tibial plateau bone contusion. Six patients underwent isolated meniscus repair and 12 patients with cruciate ligament rupture underwent meniscus repair and simultaneous cruciate ligament reconstruction. The operation time and incidence of postoperative complications were recorded. At last follow-up, the meniscus healing was evaluated according to Barrett’s criteria and knee joint MRI, respectively. Lysholm score and International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score were used to evaluate the functional recovery of the knee joint. Results The operation time was 19-28 minutes (mean, 23.3 minutes) in 6 patients with isolated meniscus repair and 38-52 minutes (mean, 45.8 minutes) in 12 patients with meniscus repair and simultaneous cruciate ligament reconstruction. All incisions healed by first intention. After operation, 1 patient developed the deep vein thrombosis of lower limb, the other patients had no complication. All patients were followed up 12-18 months (mean, 15.2 months). At last follow-up, 16 cases of meniscus reached clinical healing according to Barrett’s criteria, with a healing rate of 88.9%. MRI re-examination of the knee joint showed that 5 cases had complete healing of the meniscus, 11 cases had partial healing, and 2 cases did not heal. The total healing rate (complete healing and partial healing) was 88.9%. After operation, the Lysholm score and IKDC score of 18 patients increased compared to preoperative scores, and further improved with time. The differences between different time points were significant (P<0.05). Six patients with isolated meniscus repair had the same changes in the above scores, and the differences between the different time points were significant (P<0.05). Conclusion The arthroscopic All-inside single needle vertical suture technique can achieve good short-term effectiveness in the treatment of complete radial tears of the meniscus.
Objective To investigate the construction of a novel tissue engineered meniscus scaffold based on low temperature deposition three-dimenisonal (3D) printing technology and evaluate its biocompatibility. Methods The fresh pig meniscus was decellularized by improved physicochemical method to obtain decellularized meniscus matrix homogenate. Gross observation, HE staining, and DAPI staining were used to observe the decellularization effect. Toluidine blue staining, safranin O staining, and sirius red staining were used to evaluate the retention of mucopolysaccharide and collagen. Then, the decellularized meniscus matrix bioink was prepared, and the new tissue engineered meniscus scaffold was prepared by low temperature deposition 3D printing technology. Scanning electron microscopy was used to observe the microstructure. After co-culture with adipose-derived stem cells, the cell compatibility of the scaffolds was observed by cell counting kit 8 (CCK-8), and the cell activity and morphology were observed by dead/live cell staining and cytoskeleton staining. The inflammatory cell infiltration and degradation of the scaffolds were evaluated by subcutaneous experiment in rats. Results The decellularized meniscus matrix homogenate appeared as a transparent gel. DAPI and histological staining showed that the immunogenic nucleic acids were effectively removed and the active components of mucopolysaccharide and collagen were remained. The new tissue engineered meniscus scaffolds was constructed by low temperature deposition 3D printing technology and it had macroporous-microporous microstructures under scanning electron microscopy. CCK-8 test showed that the scaffolds had good cell compatibility. Dead/live cell staining showed that the scaffold could effectively maintain cell viability (>90%). Cytoskeleton staining showed that the scaffolds were benefit for cell adhesion and spreading. After 1 week of subcutaneous implantation of the scaffolds in rats, there was a mild inflammatory response, but no significant inflammatory response was observed after 3 weeks, and the scaffolds gradually degraded. Conclusion The novel tissue engineered meniscus scaffold constructed by low temperature deposition 3D printing technology has a graded macroporous-microporous microstructure and good cytocompatibility, which is conducive to cell adhesion and growth, laying the foundation for the in vivo research of tissue engineered meniscus scaffolds in the next step.