In children, snapping knee syndrome and joint pain with the loss of physiological hyperextension strongly suggests a diagnosis of a torn discoid meniscus.
We performed arthrocopic meniscectomy to treat torn discoid lateral meniscus on 19 knees and open meniscectomy on 9 knees of 26 children(average age : 10.9 yrs) from September, 1983 to October, 1993 at Guro hospital.
According to Ikeuchi's grading system15), excellent results were obtained in 14, good in 11, fair in 2 knees and poor in 1 knee which was associated with osteochondritis dissecans.
The knees treated by partial meniscectomy showed less Fairbank's radiologic changes than those by total meniscectomy during the average follow-up 4.2 years(minimum 1 year, maximum 7 year 11 months).
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