Long-term Outcomes and Survivorship of Meniscal Allograft Transplantation: A Systematic Review With Minimum 10-Year Follow-up

Abstract

Background:

Meniscal allograft transplantation (MAT) is an emerging treatment for patients with symptomatic meniscal deficiency.

Purpose:

To systematically evaluate the long-term clinical outcomes and graft survivorship of MAT with a minimum follow-up of 10 years.

Study Design:

Systematic review and meta-analysis; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods:

A review was conducted following PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines and registered on Prospero. The PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Scopus databases were queried in January 2025. Studies assessing MAT patient-reported or objective outcomes with ≥10 years of follow-up were included. Non–English-language studies, case reports, non–peer-reviewed articles, editorials, commentaries, and reviews were excluded. The Lysholm score, Tegner Activity Scale score, visual analog scale (VAS) for pain score, Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), and graft survivorship were extracted for analysis. MAT failure was defined by individual studies based on clinical, surgical, and/or radiographic criteria.

Results:

Thirteen studies, consisting of 619 patients and 632 MATs and performed from 1984 to 2012, met inclusion criteria. The mean patient age ranged from 24.5 to 43.5 years, with 47% to 87% males and a mean follow-up duration of 11.1 to 20.0 years. Fixation techniques included soft tissue (5 studies), bone plug (6 studies), and bone trough (4 studies). Statistically significant improvements were observed in the Lysholm score (7/9 studies), Tegner score (3/4 studies), VAS score (3/5 studies), and KOOS (1/1 studies). Two studies reported Patient Acceptable Symptom State rates ranging from 70.2% to 71% for Lysholm score and 58.5% to 82% for KOOS. Two studies also reported minimal clinically important difference rates, which ranged from 70.4% to 89.9% for the Lysholm score and 61% to 78.2% for the KOOS subscales. Ten-year MAT survival ranged from 45% to 100%. Most studies (5/9) demonstrated survivorship ≥73% at a minimum 10-year follow-up. MAT survival after ≥15 years ranged from 19% to 87%.

Conclusion:

MAT demonstrated favorable long-term clinical outcomes and variable graft survivorship beyond 10 years. Included studies varied based on graft type, fixation technique, and patient selection. Continued prospective, high-level studies are warranted to standardize surgical approaches, improve the durability of this joint-preserving intervention, and identify modifiable risk factors for inferior long-term outcomes.