The management of meniscal tears in the ACL-deficient knee

Abstract

Concomitant ACL and meniscal tears pose a higher risk for premature osteoarthritis than either condition alone, especially in the active athlete. Given that the ACL-deficient knee is also at risk of initiating tears and propagating smaller tears, ACL reconstruction is advisable. The meniscal repair in the ACL-unstable knee is at a higher risk for retear. Therefore, ACL reconstruction should be considered seriously for the ACL-deficient patient with a reparable meniscal tear, as well as for the irreparable meniscal tear, as long as the patient is an otherwise appropriate reconstruction candidate. The meniscal tear with a vertical longitudinal pattern that is less than 5 mm from the meniscosynovial junction and longer than 10 mm should be repaired. Tears with rim widths greater than 5 mm may be repaired if there is evidence for vascularity. Those tears that have rim widths greater than 5 mm without evidence for significant vascularity may be repaired, but healing enhancement techniques are recommended, including rasping of synovial fringes and insertion of fibrin clot, and both the patient and the surgeon need to be aware of the significantly lower success rates. If repairs of double flap, double longitudinal, or radial tears are performed, then use of the fascia sheath coverage with fibrin clot, as proposed by Henning et al, can be considered. Partial meniscectomy is acceptable for the complex meniscal tear.