Meniscal allograft transplantation yielded functional improvements in adolescent patients
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Key takeaways:
- Meniscal allograft transplantation provided predictable functional improvements for adolescent patients.
- Results were similar to those in an adult population reported in previous literature.
WASHINGTON — According to presented results, meniscal allograft transplantation provided predictable functional improvements for adolescent patients with functional outcomes and graft survivorship comparable to those in adults.
“Meniscal injuries in adolescent populations are increasingly common and have been contributed to increases in athletic competition, sports specialization and injury awareness,” Christopher M. Brusalis, MD, said in his presentation at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine Annual Meeting. “In patients with tears that are not amenable to repair, or following a failed prior meniscal repair, meniscal allograft transplantation serves as a possible treatment option,” he added.
Brusalis and colleagues performed a retrospective review of data from 44 adolescent patients who underwent primary meniscal allograft transplantation (MAT) from 1996 to 2016. Researchers analyzed functional outcomes, reoperation and graft survivability at a mean follow-up of 9.5 years. They compared outcomes with those reported in the extant literature for MAT in adults.
Overall, 61.3% of patients underwent isolated MAT, 31.8% underwent concomitant osteochondral allograft transplantation, 18.1% underwent concomitant autologous chondrocyte implantation and 13.6% underwent concomitant ACL reconstruction.
Compared with preoperative scores, Brusalis and colleagues found “significant increases” in functional scores at 1 year, 2 years and at most recent follow-up. Graft survivability was 100% at 1 year and 2 years, and 93.2% at 5 years and 10 years. According to the abstract, 25% of patients required operation at an average of 5.9 years, and 6.8% of patients had failure that required revision at an average of 3.8 years.
“MAT among adolescents can achieve comparable durability [to MAT among adults] despite potentially high loading challenges from an active population,” Brusalis said. “MAT is a safe and effective treatment modality for adolescents with previous meniscal injury who have ongoing pain and dysfunction,” he concluded.
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Brusalis CM, et al. Paper 34. Presented at: American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine Annual Meeting; July 12-16, 2023; Washington, D.C.
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