Posterior meniscus root tears

Abstract

Meniscus root tears are radial tears in the region of the posterior insertion zones. Medial root injuries usually occur in individuals > 50years of age without adequate trauma and are associated with obesity and varus deformities. The root lesion leads to aloss of ring tension, which results in extrusion of the meniscus and astrong increase in joint pressure that is biomechanically equivalent to acomplete meniscectomy. When indicating arthroscopic transosseous refixation of the medial root lesion, factors such as accompanying cartilage damage, osteoarthritis, obesity and varus deformity must be taken into account. Injuries to the root of the lateral meniscus are mostly observed in younger patients in combination with arupture of the anterior cruciate ligament. Arthroscopic transosseous refixation in combination with cruciate ligament surgery is therefore also recommended for typeI and typeII lesions. In summary, both the medial and the lateral root lesions of the menisci are injuries with high biomechanical relevance.