Arthroscopic all inside repair of the lateral meniscus root tear

Abstract

It has been reported that lateral meniscus tears, including posterior horn tears, stable radial flap tears, or peripheral or posterior third tears that are combined with an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury can be treated with being left in situ. However, our experience has shown that the tear patterns are not so simple. They can show complex configurations and the inner side can be lost in chronic cases. Regarding the repair technique, there has been some controversy concerning the follow up results with repair devices and reduction is difficult using these devices if the inner side is non-viable or lost. If the tear involves whole width of bony insertion, it is believed that the meniscal function would be lost, particularly because the anatomic configuration is different in this area. In cases of chronic inner loss types, the meniscus was repaired using a side to side repair or pull out repair technique. Complete healing was achieved using this technique in some patients. Conclusively, Posterior Lateral Meniscus Root Tear (PLMRT) must be managed with different method with tears of other areas because the tear configuration is complex than simple looking.