Is meniscal allograft transplantation chondroprotective? A systematic review of radiological outcomes

Smith NA, Parkinson B, Hutchinson CE, Costa ML, Spalding T · Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy

Weighted mean joint space loss was 0.032 mm at 4.5 years across the eleven studies reporting it. Meniscal extrusion was present in nearly every case and tracked neither clinical nor other radiological outcomes; healing rates were high while graft size, shape and signal intensity commonly differed from a native meniscus. The authors conclude there is some evidence the graft slows osteoarthritis and that it is unlikely to match the native meniscus.

Population

Thirty-eight clinical studies covering 1,056 meniscal allografts with a minimum six months of follow-up

Intervention

Meniscal allograft transplantation

Limitations

The authors rate the quality of the included studies as low with a high risk of bias, and there is no comparator arm anywhere in the review — the joint space loss is measured against the same knees' baseline, not against a meniscectomised control. Full text was not retrievable.