TORN MENISCUS CARTILAGE

Commonly called 'knee cartilages', the meniscus cartilages act as spacers and shock absorbers between the long bones of the knee.

A torn meniscus cartilage may heal by itself, but in many cases there are serious consequences especially in the long term.

The structure of the meniscus and its blood supply determine to a large extent the symptoms and outcomes of various types of meniscal tear.

The procedure of meniscectomy is simple, but the consequences are not. Removing all or part of the meniscus changes the load bearing and the load distribution within the whole knee joint, and other structures less suited to these functions will become stressed.

Early evaluation of meniscal tears with effective repair where practicable and appropriate will save many patients from later destructive meniscectomy.

Allograft meniscus transplants are being performed at more centres, but it is still a specialist procedure.

Growing menisci on pre-shaped scaffolds using live cells is likely to be commonplace in the future, but researchers are still working on the details.