Decision-making factors in the treatment of meniscus lesions.

In recent years, there has been a distinct trend toward a selective approach to the treatment of meniscus lesions. Partial meniscectomy, meniscus repair, and leaving certain tears alone have become alternatives to routine total meniscectomy. Once a meniscus tear is definitively diagnosed, the physician's first decision involves whether to treat the tear surgically or leave it alone. If surgical treatment is judged to be appropriate, the next decision concerns whether it should be repaired or partially excised. Total meniscectomy is reserved for tears for which any other option is unsuitable. The pertinent factors that should be considered in this decision-making process are: (1) the clinical evaluation, (2) associated lesions, and (3) the exact type, location, and extent of meniscus tear.