A meniscal allograft is a transplant of a meniscus from one person to another.

Page updated December 2023 by Dr Sheila Strover (Clinical Editor)

meniscal allograft with bone plugs

Meniscal allograft using bone plugs to secure the graft.

meniscus allograft block

 

Meniscal allograft using a tongue-and-groove method of securing the graft with a bone bar.

 

Where does a meniscal allograft come from?

Usually the meniscus is taken ('harvested') from a cadaver donor, processed in a tissue bank to make it safe and inserted into living recipient, where it replaces their own meniscus. Nowadays it is often harvested still attached to a piece of donor bone, which is slid into a recess made into the recipient's bone so that only the outer edges need to be sewn into place.

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Forum discussions

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Peer-reviewed papers

  • Quote:

    "...the general expert opinion is still that it is a procedure that should be reserved for symptomatic meniscal loss. There are three main fixation methods that can be used to fix a MAT: suture-only fixation, double plug fixation and the keyhole technique. All fixation methods have similar outcomes..."

    Citation: Figueroa F, Figueroa D, Calvo R, Vaisman A, Espregueira-Mendes J. Meniscus allograft transplantation: indications, techniques and outcomes. EFORT Open Rev. 2019 Apr 25;4(4):115-120. doi: 10.1302/2058-5241.4.180052. PMID: 31057948; PMCID: PMC6491952.

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Synonyms: 
Meniscal transplantation
Meniscus transplant
MAT
Meniscus Allograft Transplantation
Meniscal transplant
Donor meniscus
Meniscus allograft
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Dr Sheila Strover (Editor)
BSc (Hons), MB BCh, MBA

See biography...


Relevant material -

2018 - Rehabilitation following meniscal repair: a systematic review

Published paper - 2020 - The results of meniscal allograft transplantation surgery: what is success?

Journal article interpretation by Dr Sheila Strover (Clinical Editor)

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