Evaluation of surgical technique and clinical factors associated with favorable prognosis in posterior horn lateral meniscus repair through central transpatellar portal

Objective: Evaluate factors associated with favorable functional outcomes in posterior horn lateral meniscus repair performed through a central transpatellar portal.Material and methods: This prospective observational study included patients with isolated posterior horn lateral meniscus tears treated arthroscopically via a central transpatellar portal.Functional outcomes were assessed postoperatively using the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) and Lysholm-Tegner scales.Variables included age, gender, side, device, surgical time, and implant success.Continuous variables were summarized as mean ± standard deviation, and mean differences were analyzed using parametric tests with statistical significance set at p < 0.05.Results: Fifty-seven patients (mean age 31.9 years; 61.4% male) were followed for a mean of 8.2 months.Sequent® was used in 68.4% of cases, with a mean surgical time of 37.6 minutes.Functional outcomes were favorable, with high scores in IKDC (93.7) and Lysholm-Tegner (91.2).Age correlated positively with IKDC scores (R = 0.420; p = 0.001).Use of Sequent® was associated with statistically higher Lysholm-Tegner scores compared with FiberStitch® (91.6 ± 1.05 vs. 90.4± 0.96; p < 0.001), although both devices achieved high outcomes overall.Conclusions: Arthroscopic repair of posterior horn lateral meniscus tears through a central transpatellar portal provides good visualization and direct access, with excellent functional results on IKDC and Lysholm-Tegner scales.Age and type of all-inside device were associated with functional scores; however, absolute differences between implants were small.Larger comparative studies are required to confirm these findings.