WEDNESDAY, May 6, 2026 (NewsDay News) — For adults with established degenerative medial meniscal tears without radiographic evidence of osteoarthritis, partial arthroscopic meniscectomy does not improve patients’ symptoms or function over a 10-year period, according to a research letter published in the April 30 issue. New England Journal of Medicine.
Roop Kalske, MD, of Helsinki University Hospital and colleagues conducted a multicenter, randomized, sham-controlled trial to investigate arthroscopic partial meniscectomy for degenerative medial meniscal tears in adults without radiographic evidence of established osteoarthritis. A total of 146 participants were randomized: 64 of 70 in the partial meniscectomy group and 69 of 76 in the sham surgery group completed the 10-year follow-up.
The researchers found that the adjusted mean differences between the partial meniscectomy group and the sham surgery group for three participant-reported baseline measures were -9.4 points, -5.1 points, and 0.86 points for the Western Ontario Meniscal Tool Score, Lysholm Knee Score, and knee pain after exercise, respectively. Radiographically confirmed progression of osteoarthritis occurred in 81 and 70 percent of participants in the partial meniscectomy group and the sham surgery group, respectively. Overall, 12 and 4 percent in the partial meniscectomy group and the pelvic surgery group, respectively, underwent knee replacement or high tibial osteotomy.
“Several randomized studies have already shown that partial meniscectomy does not improve patients’ symptoms or function in the short (one to two years) or medium (five years) term,” Kalske said in a statement. “Regardless, this procedure is widely used in many countries.”
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