title: Medical meniscus repairs. An experimental and morphologic study.
abstract: In an effort to determine the healing potential of medial meniscus tears, 20 canine and 12 rhesus knee joints were subjected to transverse medial meniscus laceration and repair with a single Dexon suture (Davis & Geck, Pearl River, NY). At four months, 12 out of 32 (38%) had healed completely with restoration of the inner meniscal rim and 18 (56%) showed partial healing sufficient to protect the underlying articular cartilage. Only 2 (6%) of the menisci failed to heal. Histologic evaluation showed that the scar tissue present in the menisci was composed of unorganized collagen without common ground substance components. As a result of these studies, we believe that certain meniscal tears, particularly those involving the vascular periphery, can heal and may be repaired rather than treated by meniscectomy.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002921:Cicatrix / Q000473:pathology; D004285:Dogs; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D008592:Menisci, Tibial / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D013537:Sutures; D000070600:Tibial Meniscus Injuries; D014945:Wound Healing