title: Long-term outcome after arthroscopic meniscal repair versus arthroscopic partial meniscectomy for traumatic meniscal tears.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The influence of standard meniscus treatment strategies regarding osteoarthritic progress, function, and sports activity has not been estimated in a direct long-term comparison.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Meniscal repair compared with partial meniscectomy (partial meniscal resection) decreases osteoarthritic changes and reduces the effect on sports activity in the long-term follow-up.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty-one patients with an arthroscopic meniscus shape-preserving surgery after isolated traumatic medial meniscal tear (repair: n = 42; meniscectomy: n = 39) were examined clinically (Lysholm score, Tegner score) and radiologically (Fairbank score, compared with the uninjured knee); the follow-up was divided into midterm (3.4 years; n = 35) and long term (8.8 years; n = 46). Additionally, the influences of the preoperative sports activity level and age at surgery were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the long-term follow-up, no osteoarthritic progress was detectable in 80.8% after repair compared with 40.0% after meniscectomy (P = .005) with significant benefit for the "young" subgroup (P = 0.01). The preinjury activity level was obtained in 96.2% after repair compared with 50% after meniscectomy (P = .001). The function score revealed no significant difference between these strategies (P = .114). The athletes showed a significantly reduced loss of sports activity after repair compared with the athletes after meniscectomy (P = .001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Arthroscopic meniscal repair offers significantly improved results for isolated traumatic meniscal tears regarding the long-term follow-up in osteoarthritis prophylaxis and sports activity recovery compared with partial meniscectomy.
authors.affiliation: Thomas Stein, Department of Sports Traumatology, Knee, and Shoulder Surgery, BG Trauma Center Frankfurt am Main, Friedberger Landstrasse 430, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. thomas.stein@gmx.ch
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Stein
authors.forename: Andreas Peter
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Mehling
authors.forename: Frederic
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Welsch
authors.forename: Rüdige
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: von Eisenhart-Rothe
authors.forename: Alwin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jäger
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001182:Arthroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008592:Menisci, Tibial / Q000601:surgery*; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012196:Review Literature as Topic; D000070600:Tibial Meniscus Injuries; D055815:Young Adult