Clinical and Radiographic Outcomes of Arthroscopic Medial Meniscus Posterior Root Repair Using Soft Suture Anchor without Posterior Portal Technique

Abstract

Background The medial meniscus posterior root tear is a common cause of knee osteoarthritis, often misdiagnosed. Surgical repair aims to restore knee biomechanics, with evolving techniques focusing on direct fixation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical and radiographic outcomes of arthroscopic soft suture anchor repair, without utilizing the posterior portal technique, for medial meniscus posterior root tears over a 2-year follow-up period. Methods This is a retrospective study involving 32 patients, including 13 men and 19 women, with a mean age of 57 years and follow-up of 2 years. All tears were classified as LaPrade type 2 medial meniscus posterior root tears. The paired t -test was used to compare the International Knee Documentation Committee Subjective Knee Form (IKDC) and Lysholm score, as well as meniscus extrusion between preoperative and postoperative states. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was utilized to compare the Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) grades. Healing rates were assessed on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Results MRI revealed complete healing in 17 out of 32 knees (53.1%), partial healing in 12 knees (37.5%), and signs of retear in 3 knees (9.4%). At final follow-up, the mean IKDC and Lysholm scores were 57.4 ± 10.3 and 84.8 ± 11.3, respectively, showing significant improvement from preoperative values ( c 0.001). There was also a significant reduction in medial meniscus extrusion postoperatively, decreasing from 4.1 ± 0.8 mm preoperatively to 3.6 ± 0.9 mm postoperatively ( p = 0.002). Additionally, KL grades did not progress significantly during the 2-year follow-up period, as evidenced by median KL grades of 2 both preoperatively and postoperatively ( p = 0.072). Conclusions Arthroscopic repair of medial meniscus posterior root tears using a soft suture anchor without a posterior portal yielded a high healing rate in MRI and favorable patient-reported outcomes in short-term follow-up duration.