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Study finds meniscus allograft allows return-to-sport for competitive athletes

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Researchers from The Stone Clinic have found that meniscus allograft transplantation can allow competitive athletes to return to sport without additional damage to their knee joint.

“The power of this study is that the millions of people who have lost their meniscus or developed arthritis after sports injuries can now have a new shock absorber put in their knee and expect to return to sports,” Kevin R. Stone, MD, from The Stone Clinic in San Francisco, told Orthopedics Today.

Stone and colleagues evaluated 67 athletes who scored an 8 or higher on the Tegner activity index preoperatively and had OuterBridge scores of I – IV, according to the abstract. The researchers noted that 47 of the athletes had a grade IV OuterBridge score prior to surgery. They performed a medial meniscus allograft in 47 athletes and a lateral meniscus allograft in 21 athletes.

 

Kevin R. Stone

Regarding surgical technique, the athletes underwent an average of three concomitant procedures, which included a combination of chondroplasty, debridement, articular cartilage paste grafting and microfracture, according to the abstract. Following surgery, the mean International Knee Documentation Committee scores increased from 50.7 points to 70.1 points and WOMAC scores similarly improved from 24 to 8. Athlete Tegner activity index scores improved from 3 to 5. However, the median Tegner score pre-injury was 9 and the highest median Tegner score athletes returned to was 6, Stone and colleagues wrote.

The researchers also reported that 16 patients needed a second surgery unrelated to failure. Graft failure occurred in 8 patients during the follow-up period. Stone and colleagues estimated the Kaplan-Meier survivorship of the meniscal transplant was 12.8 years, according to the abstract.

Reference:

Stone KR. Meniscus allograft transplantation allows return to sporting activities. Presented at: Meniscus Transplant Study Group Meeting; March 21, 2013; Chicago.

Disclosure: Stone is a consultant for Wright Medical Technology, is a paid consultant for Joint Juice Inc. and Stryker, receives stock options from Aperion Biologics Inc., Joint Juice Inc., ReGen Biologics Inc., and Mako and receives research support from Stryker.