Meniscal repair by synovial flap transfer. Healing of the avascular zone in rabbits.

We studied repair of a longitudinal incision of the right medial meniscus in 44 rabbits after the transfer of a pedunculated synovial flap, without immobilization of the knee. The left medial meniscus was used as the control, after creating the same lesion without synovial flap. Healing was analyzed by histologic studies, including India ink perfusion after 8, 12, 24, and 48 weeks. In three quarters of the cases, the meniscus showed healing with vascularization of an originally avascular zone.