Which Factors Increase the Risk of Reoperation After Meniscal Surgery in Children?

Background: Meniscal injuries in children can pose treatment challenges, as the meniscus must maintain its biomechanical function over a long lifetime while withstanding a high activity level. While the adult literature contains a plethora of studies regarding risk factors for failure of meniscal surgery, such reports are scarcer in children.

Purpose: To determine the rate at which children undergoing meniscal surgery require subsequent reoperation as well as to define risk factors for reoperation in this population.

Study Design: Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods: A retrospective institutional database of 907 first-time meniscal surgical procedures performed between 2000 and 2015 was reviewed. All patients were <18 years old. Demographic and intraoperative information was recorded, as were concurrent injuries or operations and subsequent procedures. Univariate analysis consisted of chi-square and independent-samples tests. Multivariate logistic regression with purposeful selection was then performed to adjust for confounding factors.

Results: The mean ± SD patient age was 13.2 ± 2.1 years, and 567 (63%) were male. The mean postoperative follow-up duration was 20.1 ± 10.1 months. Overall, 83 patients (9%) required repeat surgery at a mean of 23.2 months after the index operation. After adjustment for confounders in a multivariate model, meniscal repair resulted in 3.1-times higher odds of reoperation when compared with meniscectomy (95% CI, 1.2-8.3; = .02), while white-white zone tears had 2.8-times lower odds of reoperation (95% CI, 1.01-7.7; = .04) versus red-red and red-white zone tears.

Conclusion: Approximately 9% of children undergoing meniscal surgery will require reoperation at a mean 23.2 months after the index operation. Repair carried approximately 3-times higher odds of reoperation than meniscectomy, while white-white zone tears had nearly 3-times lower odds of requiring repeat surgery when compared with tears in other zones.