Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE, cilt.14, sa.23, ss.1-13, 2025 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
Background: It is known that meniscus root tears affect the biomechanics of the knee in a
way that is equivalent to a total meniscectomy. Therefore, repair is increasingly favored
for meniscal root tears. In our study, we aimed to investigate the clinical and radiological
outcomes of meniscal root repairs with suture anchors. Materials and Methods: Patients
who had undergone surgery for medial meniscus posterior root tear (MMPRT) using
suture-anchors between 2018 and 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were ex-
cluded if they had a previous infection, a fracture and an operation on the same knee,
or osteoarthritis and a follow-up period under one year. The MMPRTs were classified
according to the LaPrade classification system. For the functional classification, the range
of motion (ROM), the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), the Lysholm Knee Score (LKS), and the
International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) Subjective Knee Form were used
for the postoperative functional assessments. The radiological assessment was performed
by measuring the medial meniscus extrusion (MME) and evaluating the signal changes
in the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the knee, which was recorded during the last
follow-up examination. Results: Thirty-two patients (6M/26F) were included in the study.
The mean age was 49.9 ± 5.4 years old, and the follow-up period was 29.6 ± 24.1 months.
The LKS improved from 53.7 ± 6.9 to 83.6 ± 5.2 and the IKDC improved from 46.1 ± 6.9 to
83.0 ± 5.5 at the final follow-up control (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001). The VAS score de-
creased from 8.4 ± 0.5 to 2.5 ± 0.9 (p < 0.001). The MRI scan of the knee performed at
the last follow-up examination showed no improvement in only one patient. While the
MME before surgery was 5.0 ± 2.1 mm, it was 4.6 ± 2.1 mm at the last follow-up ex-
amination (p = 0.178). An increase in the Kellgren–Lawrence stage was observed in 4 of
our patients (from stage 1 to stage 2 in one patient, from stage 0 to stage 1 in 3 patients).
Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that repairing MMPRTs using suture-anchors
is a valid solution for treatment and prevention in patients with poor prognoses in order to
achieve positive results in reducing pain, restoring mobility, improving functional outcomes
and avoiding a significant increase in progression to arthrosis.