Meniscal repair outcomes at greater than five years: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis

Nepple JJ, Dunn WR, Wright RW · The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. American Volume

The pooled failure rate — reoperation or clinical failure — was 23.1% (131 of 566). Failure ran between 20.2% and 24.3% across subgroups defined by anterior cruciate ligament status, which meniscus was repaired and which technique was used, and was similar for medial and lateral menisci and for intact and reconstructed ligaments. No five-year outcomes had yet been reported for modern all-inside devices.

Population

Thirteen studies reporting meniscal repair outcomes at a minimum of five years

Intervention

Meniscal repair, all techniques

Limitations

Pooled from case series with no comparator arm, and failure is defined differently across the included studies. The uniformity of the failure rate across every subgroup is the notable part and also the reason to suspect the definition is doing some of the work. Full text was not retrievable.