Sports Medicine Meniscal allograft transplantation

Meniscal allograft transplantation has emerged as a successful treatment option for select patients with meniscal deficiencies. Meniscal transplants have been performed with concomitant realignment and instability procedures with success, and recent studies have shown that concomitant cartilage restoration offers good outcomes for patients with focal, full-thickness cartilage lesions. Meniscal sizing and processing continues to provide more accurate and safe methods of preparing the meniscus for transplantation. While most physicians continue to use radiographs to size menisci, several other options have been proposed for optimize sizing. Surgical technique continues to vary among surgeons, with the use of suture, bone plug, and bone bridge fixation. Outcome studies have shown pain relief and increased activity in intermediate-term studies, but longterm follow-up studies are still needed.