Assessment of functional outcome of meniscal root pull-out repair using pull out technique

Abstract

Meniscal root tears (MRTs) are increasingly identified as an important contributor to knee dysfunction and early osteoarthritis when not managed appropriately. Arthroscopic transtibial pull-out repair has gained acceptance as an effective surgical technique aimed at restoring normal joint biomechanics. This case series evaluates the short-term functional outcomes following this procedure in a tertiary care setting in South India. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 20 patients who underwent meniscal root repair over a two-year period. Functional assessment was performed using the international knee documentation committee (IKDC) score and the visual analogue scale (VAS) before surgery and at 6-12 months follow-up. A statistically significant improvement was noted in IKDC scores, which increased from a median of 28.5 pre-operatively to 59.0 post-operatively (p=0.005). VAS scores showed clinical improvement, although statistical significance was not achieved (p=0.075). These findings suggest that transtibial pull-out repair is associated with favorable short-term functional recovery in patients with MRTs.