The role of biomaterials in the treatment of meniscal tears

Abstract

Extensive investigations over the recent decades have established the anatomical, biomechanical and functional importance of the meniscus in the knee joint. As a functioning part of the joint, it serves to prevent the deterioration of articular cartilage and subsequent osteoarthritis. To this end, meniscus repair and regeneration is of particular interest from the biomaterial, bioengineering and orthopaedic research community. Even though meniscal research is previously of a considerable volume, the research community with evolving material science, biology and medical advances are all pushing toward emerging novel solutions and approaches to the successful treatment of meniscal difficulties. This review presents a tactical evaluation of the latest biomaterials, experiments to simulate meniscal tears and the state-of-the-art materials and strategies currently used to treat tears.

Keywords: Biomaterials; Knee meniscus; biomaterials; Materials science; Scaffolds; Tissue engineering.

Figure 1. Superior view of the right tibia in the knee joint illustrating the menisci and cruciate ligaments.

(A) anterior cruciate ligament, (B) articular cartilage on medial tibial condyle, (C) medial meniscus, (D) posterior cruciate ligament, (E) lateral meniscus, (F) articular cartilage on lateral tibial condyle.

Figure 2. Schematic diagram highlighting the various types of meniscal tears, Bucket Handle MRI image taken from Han et al. (2015) (CC BY NC 3.0), Radial Tear, MRI image taken from Jung et al. (2012), and longitudinal (photograph taken from Feucht et al. (2015) (CC BY 4.0)) and horizontal tears (MRI taken from Ohishi et al. (2010) (CC BY 2.0)) all with permission.