Knee Disorders

Treatment Options

Meniscal Surgery

Arthroscopic Debridement
1. Knee arthroscopy is one of the most commonly performed and most successful orthopaedic surgical procedures. By using small surgical incisions, the amount of soft tissue which is cut is minimized. Additionally, using fiberoptic cameras, even small structures in the knee joint can be easily visualized and treated. Surgical procedures that have been facilitated greatly by knee arthroscopy include debridement or repair of the meniscus, reconstruction of ligaments such as the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), and treatment of joint (articular) cartilage damage which can result from injuries or arthritis. Typically a number of treatments of the articular cartilage are facilitated with arthroscopy. These include the microfracture procedure, autologous chondrocyte implantation

2. (ACI), osteochondral autografting (mosaicplasty), or fresh osteochondral allografting. Postoperatively, most patients who have arthroscopy of the knee without additional procedures can return to their activities within three to four weeks.

Meniscal Transplantation
In cases of a severely damaged meniscus tear in a young patient with persistent knee pain and evidence of early arthritis, a meniscus transplant may be indicated. In this procedure, a frozen meniscus with bone plugs at the ends is transferred to the affected compartment. The bone plugs are placed in bone tunnels in the affected tibia and suture through the bone tunnels. The soft tissue portion of the meniscus is sewn to the outer envelope of the joint (the capsule). The performance of a meniscus transplant has been shown to decrease pain and improve function in patients with total or subtotal meniscal injuries. Over time, the patients own cells can repopulate the meniscal tissue. The goals of meniscal transplantation is to decrease pain in the knee, to preserve the joint cartilage by reducing high contact pressures exposed to it, and to help restore the stabilizing effect of the meniscus on the knee.