Self-limited healing of a radial tear of the lateral meniscus.

Abstract

Radial tears of the meniscus have for decades been treated with partial meniscectomy. However, unstable radial tears usually involve the vascular zones where the circumferential collagen fibers are located. Therefore, in recent years, there has been a great strive to repair radial tears. To the author's knowledge, this is the first case report of a self-limited healing of a radial tear of the lateral meniscus. The patient had a prior injury where he sustained a radial tear to his lateral meniscus and underwent a limited partial meniscectomy. A second-look arthroscopy was performed only after a second injury to the same knee occurred several months later, and it revealed that the radial tear of the lateral meniscus had spontaneously healed. The patient recovered well and returned to full athletic activities. Case-report, Level IV.