All-inside Arthroscopic Meniscal Repair Technique Using a Midbody Accessory Portal

• Main Authors: S. Tal Hendrix, M.D., Adam Kwapisz, M.D., Ph.D., Douglas J. Wyland, M.D.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2017-10-01
• Series: Arthroscopy Techniques
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212628717302359

Treatment of symptomatic meniscal tears continues to evolve as we improve our understanding of the biomechanical role of the meniscus and its long-term importance to the health of the knee joint. Suture repair of meniscal tears is challenging, yet the incidence of repairs among our colleagues continues to rise as we aim to preserve meniscal tissue. Many elements of performing a repair are tedious and difficult, including proper meniscal preparation, reduction, mattress suture placement, and fixation. The tear pattern and location present another layer of difficulty. The most widely used all-inside repair devices are harpoon-style devices and present their own challenges in using them without causing harm to the meniscus and surrounding cartilage. In this article, we describe a simple all-inside meniscal repair technique to improve the reproducibility and reliability of meniscal repairs using an accessory midbody meniscal portal and a surgical probe. This ensures proper placement of mattress sutures in a reduced meniscus, with a reduced risk of collateral injury to the meniscus and articular cartilage. Furthermore, this surgical technique is adaptable to any meniscal fixation method to the medial or lateral meniscus.