Arthroscopic Excision of Medial Knee Plica: A Meta-Analysis of Outcomes.

Abstract

PurposeA meta-analysis was performed to assess the outcomes following surgical intervention for medial knee plica.Materials and MethodsA literature search of Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL and Cochrane CENTRAL was performed using relevant key words. The primary outcome was patient-reported postoperative scores of “good” and “excellent”. Meta-analyses were performed using a random effects model.ResultsThe literature search identified 731 articles. After removing duplicates and those not meeting the inclusion criteria, 12 articles reporting on a total of 643 knees were included for analysis, and of these, 7 articles including 235 knees were used for meta-analysis. The overall rate of good and excellent outcomes following surgery was estimated at 84.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], 72.8–91.4). In those cases that had non-surgical therapy prior to surgery, the rate of good and excellent outcomes of surgery was estimated at 76.1% (95% CI, 60.1–87).ConclusionsArthroscopic surgical management of symptomatic medial knee plica results in favourable outcomes. Our results suggest that arthroscopic surgical excision should be considered as a treatment modality in patients with pathological medial plica disease of the knee either as a first-line treatment or when symptoms have not responded to non-surgical interventions.Level of EvidenceIV