Short- to mid-term results of arthroscopic meniscal repair of long vertical longitudinal tears using combined cruciate and horizontal suture techniques: a retrospective study.

Abstract

The purpose was to evaluate the clinical results of arthroscopic meniscal repair of long vertical longitudinal tears using combined cruciate and horizontal suture techniques. Single surgeon retrospective case series study. A total of 38 patients having long vertical longitudinal tears were operated using combined cruciate and horizontal suture techniques. Two patients had to undergo a meniscectomy procedure within the 1st year postoperative and those were considered failure cases; 32 patients were available for follow-up evaluation (average 4.6 years) and six were lost including the two failures. Objective IKDC, modified Lysholm knee score, SF-36 score, VAS for patients' satisfaction and VAS for pain were used for follow-up evaluation. Kellgren and Lawrence (K/L) classification of osteoarthritis was also used. Successful rate was 94.1% (32 patients), while failure was 5.9% (2 patients). Objective IKDC score revealed that 27 patients had grade "A" and 5 had grade "B," while no single patient had neither grade "C" nor "D." The average modified Lysholm score was 91.3. Average SF-36 score was 88.4. The average VAS for operation satisfaction was eight. Average VAS for pain was 1.5. Preoperatively, 30 patients were classified as normal K/L classification, while two patients were K/L classification grade "1." At the time of the follow-up, 24 patients were classified as normal K/L classification, six were grade "1," two were grade "2," and thus, six had osteoarthritis progression. Arthroscopic meniscal repair of long vertical longitudinal tears using combined cruciate and horizontal suture techniques is a safe surgical procedure with good clinical outcome. Level IV.