Low meniscus reoperation rates following meniscus repair during anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction in Turkey: an in-depth national analysis of 8-years.

Background: Concomitant knee injuries, such as meniscal tears, are observed in up to 80% of cases and can have a detrimental impact on outcomes following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). Over recent decades, there has been a growing recognition of the importance of preserving meniscal tissue. Consequently, the prevalence of meniscal-preserving procedures has been on the rise.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to examine the prevalence of concurrent meniscal procedures, assess the success rate, and identify factors associated with the failure of meniscal repair in patients undergoing ACLR.

Methods: All patients who underwent ACLR due to anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury between January 2015 and December 2022 were extracted from the Republic of Türkiye National health system using operation-specific procedure codes. Patients with multiple ligament injuries, revision ACL patients, and patients with missing data were excluded from the study. The treatment methods were grouped into the subsets of meniscectomy, meniscal repair, transplantation, and meniscectomy + repair. The distribution of ACLR and meniscus treatment methods according to years, age and sex groups, hospital characteristics, and geographical regions was examined. A secondary analysis was performed to assess the effect of patient demographics and hospital healthcare level on revision meniscal procedures in the ACLR + concomitant meniscal repair group.

Results: A total of 91,700 patients who underwent ACLR between 2015 and 2022 were included in the study. A concomitant meniscal procedure was noted in 19,951(21.8%) patients (16,130 repair,3543 meniscectomy). In the 8 years studied, meniscus repair rates increased from 76.3%to87.9%, while meniscectomy rates decreased from 23.7%to12.1% (p < 0.001). The revision meniscus surgery rate following ACLR + meniscal repair was 3.7%at a mean follow-up of 50 ± 26 months. The interval between primary and revision surgery was 20.5 ± 21.2 months. The meniscectomy rates were higher in community hospitals, while private hospitals showed the lowest revision meniscus surgery rates. Younger age was associated with increased meniscus repair failure rates.

Conclusion: The propensity towards using repair techniques to treat meniscal tears during concurrent ACLR has significantly increased in Turkey. Age and the healthcare level of the treating hospital affect the success of meniscal repair.