Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31187178›Full record

SynthesisKnee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA2020

The repair of horizontal cleavage tears yields higher complication rates compared to meniscectomy: a systematic review.

Ajaykumar Shanmugaraj, Tushar Tejpal, Seper Ekhtiari, Chetan Gohal, Nolan Horner, Beate Hanson, Moin Khan, Mohit Bhandari

Abstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
19citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

19 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Management of Horizontal Cleavage Meniscus Tears.Current reviews in musculoskeletal medicine · 2025
    Review
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. [Research progress of knee meniscal repair techniques].Zhongguo xiu fu chong jian wai ke za zhi = Zhongguo xiufu chongjian waike zazhi = Chinese journal of reparative and reconstructive surgery · 2023
    Review
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Histologic and molecular features in pathologic human menisci from knees with and without osteoarthritis.Journal of orthopaedic research : official publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society · 2022
    Article
  13. Review
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Arthroscopic repair of horizontal cleavage meniscus tears provides good clinical outcomes in spite of poor meniscus healing.Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA · 2020
    Article
  17. Article
  18. Review
  19. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Ajaykumar ShanmugarajDivision of Orthopaedic Surgery, Department of Surgery, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
Tushar TejpalFaculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
Seper EkhtiariDivision of Orthopaedic Surgery, Department of Surgery, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
Chetan GohalDivision of Orthopaedic Surgery, Department of Surgery, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
Nolan HornerUniversity of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
Beate HansonUniversity of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
Moin KhanDivision of Orthopaedic Surgery, Department of Surgery, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada. khanmm2@mcmaster.ca.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8237-8095
Mohit BhandariDivision of Orthopaedic Surgery, Department of Surgery, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeHorizontal cleavage tears of the meniscus (HCTs) are primarily degenerative in nature, and, however, can be the result of trauma. Such tears account for 12-35% of all tear patterns and can be treated by partial meniscectomy or arthroscopic repair. The purpose of this review was to systematically assess the outcomes and complications for patients undergoing the surgical treatment of HCTs.

methodsThis review has been conducted according to the guidelines of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses. The electronic databases PubMed, MEDLINE, and EMBASE were searched from data inception to December 30, 2018 for articles addressing the surgical treatment of HCTs. The Methodological Index for Non-randomized Studies was used to assess study quality. Data are presented descriptively.

resultsOverall, 23 studies were identified, comprising of 702 patients (708 knees) with a mean age of 36.6 ± 9.9 years and a mean follow-up of 33.6 ± 19.6 months. The majority of patients were treated with a partial meniscectomy (59.0%), followed by repair (32.8%) and total meniscectomy (8.2%). Both meniscectomy and repair patients had improvements which surpassed minimal clinically important differences with regard to clinical (e.g. pain, function, daily living) and radiographic outcomes. The overall complication rate was 5.1%, primarily involving patients undergoing meniscal repair (12.9% of all knees undergoing a repair).

conclusionAlthough meniscal repair theoretically may provide improvement in biomechanical loading, patients undergoing repair had higher complication rates than those undergoing partial meniscectomy. Clinicians should consider the available implants in determining which tear patterns to repair and future studies with long-term follow-up are needed to investigate complications (e.g. secondary meniscal procedures) as well as the potential for delay in the development of osteoarthritis. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV.

Indexed as

ArthroscopyHumansMeniscectomyMenisci, TibialMeniscusMinimal Clinically Important DifferenceOsteoarthritisPostoperative ComplicationsTibial Meniscus InjuriesArthroscopyAvascular zoneHorizontal cleavage tearKneeMeniscus

Identifiers

PMID31187178

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.