Hybrid Tie-Grip Suture Repair for Isolated Radial Tears in the Middle Segment of the Lateral Meniscus.

Abstract

Radial tears in the middle segment are the most common type of traumatic lateral meniscus injury in young athletes with stable knees. Conventionally, meniscectomy was the first-line treatment for this type of tear, but it did not prevent degenerative changes or decreases in meniscal function. Therefore, several studies have reported meniscal repair of radial tears in the middle segment of the lateral meniscus (RTMLMs) involving the vascular zone as an alternative treatment option. However, this type of tear had low healing potential. Regardless of repair technique, complete healing rates on second-look arthroscopy after repair of isolated RTMLMs were still low. Therefore, a hybrid suture repair technique, combining all-inside suture and inside-out repair techniques, is considered more suitable for isolated RTMLMs than conventional repair techniques. This technical note describes procedures and benefits of hybrid tie-grip suture repair techniques for RTMLMs.