The all-inside meniscal repair technique has less risk of injury to the lateral geniculate artery than the inside-out repair technique when suturing the lateral meniscus.

Purpose: To evaluate the risk of injury to the inferior lateral geniculate artery with two different techniques for lateral meniscus repair.

Methods: Eight cadaveric knees were used. Inside-out sutures and an all-inside suture device were placed at the most lateral edge of the popliteal hiatus, and 15 and 30 mm anterior to this point. The minimum distances between the sutures and the inferior lateral geniculate artery were measured through a limited lateral arthrotomy. Artery penetration or collapse due to the sutures was also evaluated.

Results: The median distance between the sutures and the artery when inserted at the lateral edge of the popliteal hiatus was 1.5 mm (interquartile range: 1.3) for the inside-out technique and 1.5 mm (1.3) for the all-inside technique (differences not significant, n.s.). When the sutures were inserted 15 mm anterior to the popliteal hiatus the distances were 1.0 mm (1.1) and 1.3 mm (1.0) for the inside-out technique and the all-inside technique, respectively (n.s.). When the sutures were inserted 30 mm anterior to the popliteal hiatus the distances were 1.0 mm (1.0) and 1.5 mm (1.0) for the inside-out technique and the all-inside technique, respectively (n.s.). The artery was punctured with two of the inside-out sutures placed 15 mm from the popliteal hiatus, no puncturing occurred in the all-inside technique (n.s.). Tying of the inside-out sutures resulted in obliteration of the artery in four of eight sutures placed at 15 mm from the popliteal hiatus and three of eight sutures at 30 mm; no obliteration of the artery was found using the all-inside device (significant differences, p = 0.002).

Conclusions: Although both all-inside and inside-out lateral meniscal repair techniques place sutures very close to the lateral geniculate artery, the inside-out technique is riskier as extra-articular knot tying can cause artery obliteration when suturing the part of the meniscus immediately lateral to the popliteal hiatus. Therefore, all-inside meniscal repair technique shows less risk of injury to the major blood supply of the lateral meniscus.