Meniscus Transplantation

Meniscus Transplantation

What is Meniscus Transplantation?

The meniscus is the soft, fibrous shock absorber that rests in the knee between the femur and the tibia. When it is removed or worn-out, pain and arthritis can develop. Meniscus transplantation involves taking a meniscus from a cadaver (someone who is recently deceased, otherwise known as "allograft" tissue) and transplanting it to the patient, sort of like changing shock absorbers in a car. The meniscus is tested for contamination, and is then frozen. If the contamination-test results are clean, the tissue is provided to surgeons for meniscus transplantation. The technique involves an arthroscopic (minimum incision - microscopic sugery ) procedure.


Who can benefit from Meniscus Transplantation?

Patients with joint pain are the most common candidates. In older patients, we replace the meniscus to diminish pain, and to delay the time before a partial or complete joint replacement is required. In younger patients who have lost the cartilage (usually due to sports or traumatic injuries to the knee), we replace the meniscus to protect the joint for the future.What are the success rates of Meniscus Transplantation? Success rates are highest in the youngest patients with the healthiest joints. However, pain can also be diminished in older patients, even those with severe arthritis. Exact survival data for our patients with the meniscus transplants is currently being evaluated.


What are the potential complications of Meniscus Transplantation?

The most common problem has been partial re-tearing of the transplanted meniscus, which has required surgical repair (suturing), and rarely, a complete replacement. Rejection of the meniscus has not been seen in our patients, and is only reported worldwide in a few cases.Can infection from the Meniscus Allograft occur?Yes it can, despite comprehensive contamination testing performed prior to transplantation. We additionally sterilize our grafts with alcohol at the time of surgery. Although unlikely, a rare virus or bacteria could potentially survive.