Onishi Shintaro, Iseki Tomoya, Kanto Ryo, Nakayama Hiroshi, Yamaguchi Motoi, Tachibana Toshiya, Yoshiya Shinichi
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Nishinomiya Kaisei Hospital, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan.
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Hyogo Medical University, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan.
Case Rep Orthop. 2025 Aug 29;2025:7395591. doi: 10.1155/cro/7395591. eCollection 2025.
In recent decades, arthroscopic meniscal repair has been increasingly indicated for meniscal tears in the last decades. Although literature generally reports favorable surgical outcomes, it remains unclear whether the repaired meniscus maintains its function over the long term while performing its chondroprotective function without recurrent tear after clinical healing. A 43-year-old Japanese man who underwent meniscal repair for a bucket handle tear of the medial meniscus (MM) at the age of 15 years presented with right knee pain and catching symptoms without a preceding traumatic event. Physical examination revealed joint line tenderness and a catching sensation with rotating motion in the medial aspect of the knee. Plain radiographs showed no apparent osteoarthritic changes. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed infiltration of joint fluid at the interface between the MM and the joint capsule. Based on the patient's history and the examination results, a retear of the MM was diagnosed, and revision MM repair was conducted using the inside-out technique. At the 2-year follow-up, the patient remained asymptomatic, physical examination revealed no meniscal symptoms, and radiological examination showed no signs of osteoarthritic progression. The present study details a case involving a retear of a repaired meniscus without an inciting traumatic event after a 28-year asymptomatic period is reported. The long-term results of meniscus repair surgery performed more than 20 years ago have rarely been reported in the literature. This case report indicates that the long-term preservation of articular cartilage following successful meniscal repair can be attributed to the maintenance of meniscal function. On the other hand, even after clinical healing has been achieved, there is a possibility that the risk of meniscal retear will continue over time.
近几十年来，关节镜下半月板修复术越来越多地用于治疗半月板撕裂。尽管文献普遍报道手术效果良好，但尚不清楚修复后的半月板在长期内是否能维持其功能，同时在临床愈合后发挥软骨保护作用且不复发撕裂。一名43岁的日本男性，15岁时因内侧半月板（MM）桶柄状撕裂接受了半月板修复术，此次无先前创伤事件却出现右膝疼痛和卡顿症状。体格检查发现关节线压痛，膝关节内侧旋转运动时有卡顿感。X线平片未显示明显的骨关节炎改变。磁共振成像（MRI）显示MM与关节囊界面处有关节液浸润。根据患者病史和检查结果，诊断为MM再次撕裂，并采用由内向外技术进行了MM翻修修复术。在2年随访时，患者无症状，体格检查未发现半月板症状，影像学检查也未显示骨关节炎进展迹象。本研究详细报道了一例在28年无症状期后出现无激发性创伤事件的修复半月板再次撕裂的病例。文献中很少报道20多年前进行的半月板修复手术的长期结果。本病例报告表明，半月板修复成功后关节软骨的长期保存可归因于半月板功能的维持。另一方面，即使已经实现临床愈合，随着时间的推移半月板再次撕裂的风险仍有可能持续存在。
