Authors reviewed 21 knees of meniscus tear combined with anterior cruciate ligament deficiency and treaated only arthroscopic partial meniscoetomy at the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Seoul National University Hospital from November 1987 to
January
1993. We analyzed the arthroscopic findings, symptoms and signs, and Lysholm scores.
All the patient were males. The average age of the patients was 32.6 years(from 22 to 47 year), and the average following period was 38.9 months(from 16 to 78 months). The initial chief complaints were pain on walking in 13 patients(62%) and
subjective
instability in 8 (38%). Seven knees had complete or more than 50% rupture of anterior cruciate ligament. Eighteen knees had torn medial menisci, among them poserior horn tear were 11.
After arthroscopic partial meniscectomy alone, knee joint pain and other meniscal sign wer eimproved in most cases. Subjective instability of the knee joint including giving way was also improved in about half cases. Sixty seven percents of
patients
satisfied with the results and objective excellent results were obtained in 71%. Howvere objective instability including positive Lachman test and anterior drawer test, and instability scores were not improved in most of cases.
Arthroscopically exceised posterior horn of medial meniscus did not increase subjective instability and ACL-deficient signs. In the knees with the chief complaint of instability or complete or more than 50% rupture of anterior cruciate ligament,
subsjective and objective improvement of instability and obsjective overall results were relatively poor, so we authors supposed that the reconstruction of ACL should be considered at the same time as partial meniscetomy in those cases.
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