Failed arthroscopic meniscectomy: prognostic factors for repeat arthroscopic examination.

The authors have reviewed 44 patients retrospectively who failed arthroscopic partial meniscectomy. The study attempts to define the chances for success and to identify prognostic factors as these patients return for reoperation. Each patient had a repeat arthroscopic examination from 2 to 60 months after partial meniscectomy (average 19 months). They were reviewed an average of 31 months after reoperation (6 to 60 months), and each completed a subjective questionnaire evaluating the efficacy of their repeat arthroscopic surgery. Seventy-one percent of the patients had improvement with reoperation and were classified as good or excellent. Twelve patients (29%) did not improve and were rated poor. Ten parameters, as recorded before repeat arthroscopic examination, were investigated in an attempt to correlate each with success and to find those that are significant prognostic factors. Age of the patient, number of surgeries on the involved knee, time between arthroscopic examinations, nature of history (acute or chronic), workers' compensation or private insurance status, range of motion on physical examination prior to repeat arthroscopy, and degree of chondromalacia as seen at the first surgery were not found to correlate with the ultimate success of the patient. The presence of mechanical complaints before reoperation was a statistically significant parameter that led to a good or excellent result in 86% of the patients at follow-up. Lateral meniscal pathology seen at first partial meniscectomy gave more favorable results than medial meniscal pathology even if the patient had nonmechanical complaints. A history of reinjury between arthroscopic surgeries is helpful only if positive. In the absence of such a history, no conclusion can be drawn.