Patients who received a novel synthetic medial meniscus replacement prothesis during a partial meniscectomy experienced superior improvements in knee pain and function at three years post-surgery compared to patients who received non-surgical care for knee pain. The paper is being presented at the largest dedicated sports medicine meeting, the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) 2023 Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, July 13-16.
A partial meniscectomy is a common surgical procedure that replaces only the damaged part of the meniscus, which is the cartilage structure of the knee that keeps it healthy and working properly. Damage or injury to the meniscus is the most common reason for knee surgery to alleviate the resulting pain and mobility limitations.
In this multicenter randomized controlled trial, 127 patients (61 investigational, 66 control) who had previously undergone one or more partial meniscectomies at least six months before trial entry and continued to experience pain were included in the study. Patients self-reported knee pain, function, and quality of life that were then assessed using the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score.
“While both patient groups improved over 24 months, the control group that did not undergo surgery showed a significant drop in their self-reported scores for improvement in knee pain, function, and quality of life at three years,” said Christian Lattermann, MD, co-author of the study and Chief of Sports Medicine of the Brigham and Women’s Hospital at Harvard Medical School. “On the other hand, patients who received the meniscal replacement prothesis had significantly better outcomes scores that were maintained over three years.”
Dr. Lattermann added that the magnitude of change from baseline to three years remained superior for the surgical patients receiving the meniscal replacement prothesis, even for patients undergoing device exchange or repositioning, compared to patients in the non-surgical control group.
“Continual refinements in knee surgery provide better outcomes for the countless patients who experience a torn meniscus every year and require a partial meniscectomy. Particularly for the patient who lost a large portion of the meniscus, but wants to stay active, this meniscus implant provides potential options that we have not had before,” said Dr. Lattermann. “This promising research is an excellent example of how orthopaedic surgeons specializing in sports medicine are helping and driving investigations into new ways to improve patient results and, ultimately, their overall quality of life.”
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