Survey Results Concerning Current Trends in Meniscus Repair Indications and Preferences from Members of the Pediatric Research in Sports Medicine (PRiSM) Society.

Abstract

Meniscus repair has increased in frequency, especially among surgeons who focus on youth sports injuries. The aim of this study was to determine current trends in meniscus repair among a specific subset of meniscus repair surgeons. A cross-sectional survey utilizing several clinical vignettes was administered to orthopaedic surgeon members of the Pediatric Research in Sports Medicine (PRiSM) Society to investigate surgeon experience and training, number of meniscus repair procedures performed, and surgical and rehabilitation preferences. A statistical analysis of the responses was performed to determine associations between years in practice or type of fellowship training and the number of meniscus repair procedures performed, surgical indications, and rehabilitation preferences. The response rate to various questions ranged from 61.5 (59/96) to 63.5% (61/96). In all vignettes, a majority favored repair as well as some degree of weight-bearing and range-of-motion restrictions. Surgeons who had been in practice for 6 to 10 years performed significantly more meniscus repairs per year than those who had been in practice for greater than 20 years (p = 0.009) and those who had been in practice for 0 to 5 years (p = 0.05). Surgeons who had been in practice for greater than 20 years performed a significantly higher percentage of meniscectomies relative to meniscus repairs, compared with those in practice for 0 to 5 years (p = 0.002) or 6 to 10 years (p = 0.0003). When surgeons were grouped into those with less than 10 years of experience and those with greater than 10 years of experience, the former group performed a significantly higher number of meniscus repairs relative to meniscectomies than the latter group of surgeons (p < 0.0001). Less experienced surgeons are more likely to perform meniscus repair than meniscectomy, but all surgeons surveyed had a general preference for repair in all clinical vignettes. Repair technique preferences as well as rehabilitation protocols varied widely among surgeons.