Meniscal repair is an effective treatment for longitudinal peripheral meniscal tears. However, the conventional method of meniscal repair often needs additional incisions and in the case of posterior horn sutures has the risk of potential posterior neurovascular structure injury. We have developed a new method of arthroscopic meniscal repair using knotted absorbable strings, which is a simple intraarticular procedure. Strings are inserted into the torn meniscus using a needle with a cleft at the tip and these are left inside the meniscus when the needle is pulled out. This study evaluated the fixation rigidity of this method using a simple tensile test. Bovine menisci were cut into rectangular sections of 6×6×10mm and a string with knots was inserted. These specimens were mounted in a methylmetacrylate cylinder and fixed in a mechanical testing machine. Maximum tensile strength of a string with three large knots was more than 20N, which is comparable to the conventional method. Our method is so simple that it is much easier to use multiple sutures, which would provide adequate stability. Furthermore, the method does not require additional incisions and can be indicated for repair of posterior tears without the risk of popliteal neurovascular injury.
