Survivorship and Reoperation of 324 Consecutive Isolated or Combined Arthroscopic Meniscal Allograft Transplants Using Soft Tissue Fixation.

backgroundMeniscal allograft transplant (MAT) is an effective treatment for relieving symptoms and improving knee function in patients who experience symptomatic unicompartmental knee pain after a previous meniscectomy. However, the literature contains a paucity of studies assessing the survival rate and prognostic factors of soft tissue MAT. PURPOSE: To report the survivorship of a large, single-center cohort of consecutive patients treated with arthroscopic MAT using soft tissue technique and to investigate variables that could potentially influence failures and outcomes. STUDY

designCase series; Level of evidence, 4.

methodsConsecutive MAT procedures totaling 364 performed in a single institution between June 2004 and April 2019 were screened and assessed for eligibility. Subjective clinical scores (Lysholm score, Tegner activity scale, and visual analog score) were collected preoperatively and at 2, 5, 7, and 10 years of follow-up. Two survival analyses were performed using Kaplan-Meier curves, with surgical failure (defined as any graft revision) and clinical failure (defined as a Lysholm score <65 points) used as endpoints. Univariate analyses were performed using reoperations, surgical failure, clinical failure, and different demographic and surgical characteristics as endpoints.

resultsA total of 324 consecutive patients were evaluated at a mean follow-up 5.7 ± 3.0 years. Of these, 189 (58%) underwent an associated surgical procedure. A total of 22 patients (6.8%) were considered to have experienced surgical failure, and no predictors of surgical failure were identified based on the relevant variables. When all patients were considered, a significant improvement in all of the patient-reported outcome measures was present between the preoperative assessment and the last follow-up (

conclusionFemale sex and the need to combine MAT with a cartilage procedure or ACL reconstruction could result in an increased rate of clinical failure at midterm follow-up.