Prior medial meniscus arthroscopy is not associated with worst functional outcomes in patients undergoing primary total knee arthroplasty: A retrospective single-center study with a minimum follow-up of 5 years.

Abstract

Introduction: There have been controversial studies on the impact of prior knee arthroscopy (KA) on outcomes of total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The purpose of this comparative study is to investigate the impact of prior KA of medial meniscus on patients undergoing TKA by evaluating the International Knee Society Score (IKS), the complications, and revisions.

Methods: This retrospective study reviewed 84 patients with TKA who had undergone prior KA of the medial meniscus and compared them to 84 cases, without a history of prior KA as a control group. Outcomes were assessed with the original IKS scores and complications. The mean follow-up was 8 years.

Results: There was no significant difference between groups with respect to demographics, or pre-operative IKS. The mean pre and postoperative IKS was not different between groups. The all-cause reoperation, revision, and complication rates of the KA group were not significantly higher than those of the control group.

Conclusion: The present study seems to reveal that previous KA of the medial meniscus does not negatively affect a subsequent TKA. Nevertheless, larger studies may be necessary to confirm this observation.