Arthroscopic Saucerization and All-Inside Repair of a Delaminated Discoid Lateral Meniscus

Abstract

Preservation of the meniscus has been shown to influence the progression of degenerative changes of the knee. As more meniscus is preserved, the propensity for development of osteoarthritis is lessened. Surgical treatment of a torn discoid meniscus has typically been a subtotal meniscectomy or partial meniscectomy. Similar to tears of a normal meniscus, partial meniscectomy compared with subtotal meniscectomy of the discoid meniscus confers better long-term results. With the abnormal morphology predisposing the discoid meniscus to tearing, several characteristic tear patterns can be observed—the horizontal tear being commonly encountered. We present a technique that not only creates a more normal morphology of a discoid meniscus but also preserves the tissue by using an all-inside, intrameniscal repair technique. This technique restores the central rim of the meniscus in the setting of a horizontal cleavage plane, thus restoring a more normal meniscus morphology.