Decreasing Incidence of Partial Meniscectomy, and Increasing Incidence of Meniscus Preservation Surgery from 2010-2020 in the United States

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to characterize the incidence of meniscus surgery from 2010 to 2020 in the United States, using the metrics of age, sex, type of meniscus surgery, and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI). A retrospective analysis was performed using the PearlDiver national insurance claims database from 2010-2020. Meniscus surgeries were identified using Current Procedural Terminology codes. Patients were stratified by procedure type, age, biological sex, and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) scores. Compound annual growth rate (CAGR) analysis and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were performed to analyze the trends and demographic variables between cohorts. Of 2,053,884 meniscus surgeries, 94.7% were meniscectomies, 0.3% were open repairs, 4.9% were arthroscopic repairs, and 0.1% were meniscal transplantations. CAGR analysis displayed a 4.0% decrease per year in total meniscus surgery. For individual procedure types, the largest decrease was in meniscectomy, and the largest increase was in open repair. Patients undergoing meniscal transplantation were youngest, with the lowest CCI. Meniscectomy patients were oldest, and open repair patients had the highest average CCI. Most procedures were performed on female patients (52.4%), and patients in the 50-59-year age group (30.4%). There was a sustained decrease in the incidence of total meniscus surgeries from 2010-2020. Meniscectomy was the procedure with the highest incidence, however, it showed the most significant decline in usage over the study period. Conversely, meniscal repair and transplantation procedures increased during the study period.