Abstract
Objectives
To compare patient-reported outcomes following anatomic transtibial pull-out repair for isolated medial meniscus posterior root (MMPR) tears in patients > 60 versus ≤60 years of age, as well as the incidence of repair failures.
Methods
Patients aged ≥18 years undergoing isolated anatomic transtibial pull-out repair for MMPR tears at a single institution between January 2016 and September 2020 were analyzed. Patients with minimum 2-year follow-up were divided based on age: >60 versus ≤60 years. Patients completed IKDC, KOOS JR, and VR12 surveys before surgery and at final follow-up. Differences in outcome scores between age groups, as well as repair failures, defined by the need for repeat arthroscopy, were analyzed.
Results
Twenty patients aged ≥60 with a mean age of 65.7 ± 4.1 years (range, 60.2 – 74.9 years) were compared to 40 patients ≤ 60 years of age with a mean age of 49.3 ± 9.0 years (range, 23.4 – 59.8). Significant improvement in all outcomes scores was observed in both groups at final follow-up relative to pre-operative values. No significant difference in IKDC, KOOS JR, or VR12-Physical scores was observed between groups. Revision repair was required in one patient (2.5%) under age 60, but no patients over age 60.
Conclusion
Anatomic transtibial pull-out repair for MMPR tears resulted in improved outcome scores at minimum 2-year follow-up, with no significant differences among our cohorts of patients >60 or ≤60 years of age. While chronologic age should be accounted for when discussing expectations and management of MMPR tears, a specific age cut-off should not exclude consideration for root repair, as appropriately selected patients >60 years of age exhibit non-inferior outcomes compared to patients aged ≤60 years.