Biomechanical Comparison of 3 Novel Repair Techniques for Radial Tears of the Medial Meniscus: The 2

Historically, radial meniscal tears were treated with partial or near-total meniscectomy, which usually resulted in poor outcomes. Radial meniscal tears function similar to a total meniscectomy and are challenging to treat. Repair of radial meniscal tears should be performed to prevent joint deterioration and the need for salvage procedures in the future. The purpose was to compare 3 repair techniques for radial tears of the medial meniscus: the 2-tunnel, hybrid, and hybrid tunnel techniques. It was hypothesized that there would be no differences among the 3 groups in regard to gapping and ultimate failure strength. Controlled laboratory study. Thirty human male cadaver knees (10 matched pairs, n = 20; 10 unpaired, n = 10) were used to compare the 2-tunnel, hybrid, and hybrid tunnel repairs. A complete radial tear was made at the midbody of the medial meniscus. Repairs were performed according to the described techniques. Specimens were potted and mounted on a universal material testing machine where each specimen was cyclically loaded for 1000 cycles before experiencing a pull to failure. Gap distances at the tear site, ultimate failure load, and failure location were measured and recorded. After 1000 cycles of cyclic loading, there were no significant differences in displacement among the 2-tunnel repair (3.0 ± 1.7 mm), hybrid repair (3.0 ± 0.9 mm), and hybrid tunnel repair (2.3 ± 1.0 mm; P = .4042). On pull-to-failure testing, there were also no significant differences in ultimate failure strength among the 2-tunnel repair (259 ± 103 N), hybrid repair (349 ± 149 N), and hybrid tunnel repair (365 ± 146 N; P = .26). However, the addition of vertical mattress sutures to act as a “rip stop” significantly reduced the likelihood of the sutures pulling through the meniscus during pull-to-failure testing for the hybrid and hybrid tunnel repairs (4 of 16, 25%) as compared with the 2-tunnel repair (7 of 9, 78%; P = .017). The results showed equivalent biomechanical testing with regard to gap distance and pull-to-failure strength among the 3 repairs. The addition of the vertical mattress sutures to act as a rip stop was effective in preventing meniscal cutout through the meniscus. Effective healing of radial meniscal tears after repair is paramount to prevent joint deterioration and symptom development. Each tested repair showed a biomechanically equivalent and stable construct to use to repair radial meniscal tears. The authors recommend that rip stop vertical mattress sutures be used, especially in poor-quality meniscal tissue, to prevent suture cutout