What are the surgical options for treating a torn meniscus?
The principle of surgical management of meniscal tears has changed dramatically over the last 20 years. It was originally though that the meniscus much like the appendix was of little use, and total meniscectomy was the standard of care. Recognition of the importance of the meniscus to the normal function of the knee has now led to the concept of preserving as much of the meniscus as possible. In the 1970’s the late Dr. Robert Metcalf pioneered techniques of arthroscopic partial meniscectomy as an alternative to removing the entire meniscus. Finally, in the 1980’s techniques of arthroscopic meniscal repair were pioneered by the late Dr. Charles Henning. Knee1: How is the meniscus repaired? Three are three methods of repairing the meniscus. The oldest and still considered by many to be the “gold standard” for meniscus repair and is the inside-out suture technique. As mentioned earlier, this technique was pioneered by the late Dr. Charles Henning. In this technique a cannula is used to p
