Abstract
We examined the clinical significance of 23 patients who underwent partial meniscectomy of the lateral meniscus, aged 40 or older. The average age at the time of surgery was 59.2 years (range 45 to 72 years). The average duration of symptoms before meniscectomy was 40.3 months. Only 3 cases had history of trauma for the onset of symptoms. Twelve cases experienced“locking”before meniscectomy. Joint effusion was recognized in 15 cases and meniscal signs in 17 cases. Meniscal tears were localized at anterior segment and middle segment in each 2 cases and at posterior segment in 19 cases. The types of tears included 11 peripheral, 4 degenerative, 3 bucket-handle, 3 transverse and 2 longitudinal tears. Almost all cases had only minor osteoarthrotic changes in their knees on plain radiographs.
