Introduction

Lesions of posterior lateral meniscus root (PLMR) affect the transfer of the axial load of the knee, due to the inability of the meniscus to dissipate the loads, which generates an overload with the subsequent deterioration of the articular cartilage. Several surgical techniques have been described for its treatment, but still, none has demonstrated superiority. Consequently, there are controversies about which technique is indicated for these injuries, especially when there are concomitant injuries such as anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. The aim is to describe the clinical follow-up of patients operated with transtibial fixation of PLMR and medial portal technique for ACL reconstruction.

Materials & Methods

Retrospective case series. Patients with PLMR and ACL injuries were included, who were operated with a novel transtibial technique for PLMR injuries and medial portal technique for anatomical single-bundle ACL reconstruction in a specialized hospital in Medellín city (Colombia). The fixation of the PLMR consists in repairing it with an all-inside meniscal technique, later the strand of this suture is recovered and fixed transtibial, without it interfering with the ACL fixation tunnel. To determine the knee function, Lysholm and subjective International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) scores were performed before and after the operation. The data were analyzed in GraphPad software version 7.02.

Results

Eighteen patients with acute lesions of PLMR were followed, they present a mean age of 30 years; 12 patients were male. The time between trauma and surgery was on average two and a half months and the follow-up period of 12 months. Statistically significant differences were found when comparing both scores before and after the operation. Moreover, no additional surgical procedures were required in the patients during follow-up, and all patients were satisfied with the outcomes of the procedure.

Conclusion

Posterior lateral meniscus root fixation can be safely and satisfactorily performed in the same surgical time with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. This novel technique provides an improvement in the symptoms, sports activities level, function, and level of daily activity of the patients.