Late Results after Meniscectomy

Two hundred thirteen patients with uncomplicated meniscus injuries were studied from ten to thirty years after their meniscectomy in order to determine the late effects of surgery. Delay of operation after injury did not affect the ultimate result. Patients less than twenty years old at the time of operation had fewer excellent and good results. The diagnosis is more difficult, and the benefit of meniscectomy is less certain, in women than in men. There was no difference in results between total and partial meniscectomy except in bucket-handle tears. Leaving the peripheral rim intact in uncomplicated bucket-handle tears produced the most excellent results. Persistence in a physical occupation or participation in non-contact sports seems not to alter the course after meniscectomy. It was usually, but not invariably, possible to correlate roentgenographic appearance with the clinical result. The meniscectomy site was readily apparent in ninety-four of 110 patients (85 per cent). Sixty-eight per cent of patients in our series had satisfactory clinical results, but only 45 per cent of men and 10 per cent of women had symptom-free knees.