WEDNESDAY, May 6, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- For adults with degenerative median meniscal tear without radiographic evidence of established osteoarthritis, arthroscopic partial meniscectomy does not improve patients' symptoms or function at 10 years, according to a research letter published in the April 30 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Roope Kalske, M.D., from Helsinki University Hospital, and colleagues conducted a multicenter, randomized, sham surgery controlled trial to examine arthroscopic partial meniscectomy for degenerative medial meniscal tear in adults without radiographic evidence of established osteoarthritis. A total of 146 participants underwent randomization: 64 of 70 in the partial meniscectomy group and 69 of 76 in the sham surgery group completed the 10-year follow-up.
The researchers found that the adjusted mean differences between the partial meniscectomy group and sham surgery group for the three primary participant-reported measures were −9.4 points, −5.1 points, and 0.86 points for the Western Ontario Meniscal Evaluation Tool score, Lysholm knee score, and knee pain after exercise, respectively. Radiographically confirmed progression of osteoarthritis occurred in 81 and 70 percent of participants in the partial meniscectomy group and sham surgery group, respectively. Overall, 12 and 4 percent in the partial meniscectomy group and sham surgery group, respectively, underwent knee replacement or high tibial osteotomy.
"Several randomized studies have already demonstrated that partial meniscectomy has not improved patients' symptoms or function in the short (one to two years) or medium (five years) term," Kalske said in a statement. "Regardless, the procedure has remained widely used in many countries."
Several authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical and medical device industries.
