Outcomes of Arthroscopic Repair Vs Meniscectomy of Radial Meniscal Tears: A Systematic Review

Abstract Background: The menisci are essential for optimal perfor-mance and durability of the knee joint. The main purpose of their function is to enhance congruency to transfer load across the tibiofemoral joint and thus reduce the stress exerted on the articular cartilage. Aim of Study: To conduct a systematic review demonstrat-ing the clinical and MRI outcomes of using arthroscopic repair versus meniscectomy in radial meniscal tears. Patients and Methods: An initial search of PubMed, Em-base, and Scopus databases from 2005-2021 with keywords: meniscus, Meniscus tear, radial tear, meniscectomy, and me-niscus repair yielded 1170 articles. This systematic review compared the two treatment techniques arthroscopic repair and arthroscopic meniscectomy in terms of clinical and radiological benefits in subjects with radial meniscus tears. Results: This review included 11 studies. 235 patients were included with radial meniscal tears. 180 patients underwent ar-throscopic repair, and 55 patients underwent meniscectomy. Pa-tient-reported outcomes after repair and partial meniscectomy in radial meniscal tears were promising, with high self-reported outcomes (IKCD and Tegner) at the final postoperative follow-up in comparison to the preoperative scores. Healing rate as-sessment by Arthroscopy and MRI revealed that most patients demonstrated complete and partial healing at the final follow-up, with a low failure rate. Conclusion: Short- and long-term follow-up revealed that sparing the meniscus either by repair or partial meniscectomy in radial tears has excellent outcomes.