Meniscus Allograft Transplantation

Abstract

Menisci are well recognized for their key role in load bearing, load transmission, shock absorption, joint stability, joint lubrication and joint congruity. Unfortunately, meniscus tears are the most common type of intra-articular knee injury, involving about 60–70 per 100,000 inhabitants per year. Although the classical treatment for painful meniscal tears is meniscectomy, in recent times the gold standard has shifted from excision to meniscal-repairing surgery. Despite all these considerations, meniscectomy is still frequently performed, and it is often necessary in the case of irreparable meniscal tears or after failure of previous repair. Meniscal allograft transplantation (MAT) has become a powerful treatment option for the patients with pain after meniscectomy, known as the “post-meniscectomy syndrome”, and has been shown to provide predictable relief of pain, improvement in knee function, prevention of osteoarthritis (OA) and a return to sporting activity with good long-term survival. Even if long-term results continue to improve, there still remains significant variability in how MAT is performed, and therefore, there remains the opportunity for optimizing outcome and graft survivorship.