Editorial Commentary: Medial Meniscal Root Repair May Not Be Required During Knee Medial-Compartment Unloading High Tibial Osteotomy.

Abstract

Medial meniscal root tears are biomechanically similar to a total meniscectomy. Repair is clinically indicated and supported by evidence. Increased contact pressures can result in cartilage degeneration and early onset of osteoarthritis. Once diffuse grade 3 or 4 osteoarthritis has settled in, repair may not be indicated anymore. Combining medial meniscal root repair with a high tibial osteotomy for grade 3 or 4 medial-compartment osteoarthritis is not beneficial, and osteotomy alone provides very similar clinical outcomes at 2 years. Meniscal healing was observed in only 18% of patients, and the rate of "cartilage recovery" during second-look arthroscopy was between 8% and 24%. The low sample size, short follow-up, and historical control group limit the validity and generalizability of these conclusions.