Outcomes of Arthroscopic Repair vs. Menisectomy of Radial Meniscal Tears: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Abstract Background Radial tear is a vertical tear mostly occur in young individuals with traumatic incidence, which is perpendicular to the long axis of the meniscus and to the tibial plateau, sectioning the circumferential collagen fibers of the meniscus, affect the ability of the menisci to transmit the tibiofemoral load and the hoop stresses associated with weight-bearing. Aim of the Work A systematic review to compare clinical and MRI outcomes of arthroscopic repair and menisectomy for radial meniscal tears. Patients and Methods After conducting an initial search of PubMed, Embase, and Scopus databases using the keywords: meniscus, meniscus tear, radial tear, menisectomy, and meniscus repair, we found a total of 1170 articles. However, after screening the full-text analysis against the inclusion and exclusion criteria, only 11 studies on radial meniscus tear were deemed suitable for inclusion criteria. Results Following an analysis of 11 studies that involved 235 patients with radial meniscal tears, it was discovered that 180 of them underwent arthroscopic repair, while 55 underwent menisectomy. Patient- reported outcomes for both procedures were promising, with improvement in activity (IKCD and Tegner) scores recorded during the final follow-up in comparison to pre-surgery scores. Imaging and second look arthroscopy showed that the majority of patients experienced complete or partial healing, with a low occurrence of failure. These results indicate that both arthroscopic repair and menisectomy can serve as effective treatments for radial meniscus tears. Conclusion It has been found through short- and long-term follow-up that sparing the meniscus, either through repair or partial menisectomy, has excellent outcomes for radial tears.