COMPLICATIONS OF MENISCAL REPAIR

Abstract Meniscal repair (open or arthroscopic) should be in the armamentarium of every orthopedist who performs knee surgery. The purpose of this article is to present the complications inherent in general knee arthroscopy as well as those specific to meniscal repair. Specific complications of meniscal repair discussed are (1) failure of the repair to heal, (2) neurovascular complications, (3) arthrofibrosis, and (4) infection.The authors also present techniques and recommendations to minimize these potential complications. Medial and lateral knee anatomy, with respect to standard surgical approaches for midhorn and posterior horn repairs, is discussed. Finally, the authors present their recommendations to minimize the failure-to-heal rate of meniscal repair.