Meniscal transplantation actually improves articular cartilage quality!
Lateral Meniscal Allograft Transplantation Shows a Long-Term Chondroprotective Effect on Quantitative MRI T2 Mapping at 7 Years’ Minimum Follow-Up
Lee et al.
Arthroscopy 2023, ISSN 0749-8063, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arthro.2023.09.027.
It’s already well-known and well-documented that meniscal transplantation gives pretty good results – not perfect… but pretty good, with ~90% success at 5-year follow-up and ~80% success at 10-year follow-up [LINK]. However, what is the definition of success???…
We addressed the issue of ‘success’ in our study that was published in 2020:
The results of meniscal allograft transplantation surgery: what is success?
Searle, Asopa, Coleman, McDermott
BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2020; 21, 159 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-020-3165-0
However, what are the objective effects of meniscal transplantation on the articular cartilage in that compartment of the patient’s knee?
In a recent study by researchers from South Korea, 31 patients undergoing lateral meniscal allograft transplantation surgery were observed, with a minimum 7-year follow-up (mean 8.9 years). The quality of the articular cartilage in the lateral compartment of each patient’s knee was assessed pre- and post-operatively using quantitative T2 mapping with MRI. The researchers found that meniscal transplantation was actually associated with an improvement in the quality of the patients’ articular cartilage! (Normally, we would be happy to see a slowing down of the progression of a patient’s ‘wear and tear’ in their knee, or we’d even be delighted to see a lack of progression of any degenerative changes. However, to actually see an improvement in the state of these patients’ cartilage is beyond what most meniscal transplant surgeons would normally ever hope for!
Further evidence that meniscal transplantation is an excellent procedure (if performed on the right patient at the right time for the rights reasons and by the right surgeon!).
Find out more about meniscal transplantation: CLICK HERE