The Flipping Suture Technique for Reduction of Chronic Incarcerated Bucket-Handle Meniscus Tears

Abstract

Meniscal tears are the most common and most treated injuries of the knee. In the recent past, meniscectomy was considered the treatment of choice for meniscal lesions. However, this practice is progressively being discontinued in favor of meniscal repair, which has shown high success rates. Several techniques are currently used individually or in association to treat bucket-handle meniscal tears. The inside-out technique has been considered the gold standard for this kind of lesion, especially if the posterior horn of the meniscus is involved. This article aims to describe a reproducible surgical technique for chronically incarcerated bucket handle meniscal tears that consist of an outside-in reduction suture for meniscal eversion, the “flipping suture”, followed by additional standard meniscal repair sutures.