Background. There is growing evidence in literature that meniscal allograft transplantation performed with the right indications results in significant pain relief and functional improvement of the involved joint. Long-term data on clinical and radiological outcome are however scarce. Methods. We evaluated 89 transplants (53 lateral and 36 medial) in 87 patients. Mean time of follow-up was 15,5 ± 2,85 years (range 9,9–20,4), mean age at surgery was 35,2 years (range 22–50). Clinically, the patients were evaluated using a KOOS, SF-36, HSS, VAS, Tegner and Lysholm score. HSS scores were compared to pre-operative and mid-term follow-up data. Each patient received radiographs (AP, profile and Rosenberg view). Radiological outcome parameters were joint space width narrowing and Fairbank changes and were scored according to IKDC. Failures were defined as patients who were converted to an arthroplasty. Results. HSS-scores improved significantly from 119 ± 27pre-operatively to 160 ± 40 at long-term follow-up. Lysholm-score was 69 ± 22, which was defined as a fair result. Mean VAS-score was 3,4 ± 3, mean Tegner was 4 ± 2. There were no significant differences between following subgroups: left or right knee, medial or lateral allograft, combined procedure with a high tibial osteotomy and male or female. Nine (25%) of the thirty-six medial and ten (19%) of the fifty-three lateral grafts failed after a mean of 9,9 years. Conclusions. Transplantation of a viable meniscal allograft can significantly relieve pain and improve function of the knee joint. Survival analysis showed that this beneficial effect remained in approximately 70% of the patients at fifteen years. This study proves that meniscal allograft transplantation is a beneficial procedure to postpone total knee arthroplasty for more than 10 years in young active patients

Purpose. to evaluate the radial displacement of meniscal allograft transplants (MATs) in patients operated with an open technique vs. an arthroscopic technique at 1 year postoperatively. Radial displacement or extrusion of the graft is frequently observed after meniscus transplantation. The hypothesis is that arthroscopically inserted MATs extrude less than open MATs and therefore have a more intra-articular position than open surgery transplants. Materials and Methods. 39 patients were included in the study: the first group of open surgery transplants consisted of 16 patients (10 lateral, 6 medial). The second group of arthroscopic transplants consisted of 21 patients (14 lateral, 7 medial). MR-images were taken one year post-surgery. The displacement, evaluated on 1,5T MR coronal images, was defined as the distance between the tibial plateau and the outer edge of the meniscus. Results. The radial displacement of lateral open surgery transplants (mean = 4,04 mm; SD = 1,46) is significantly larger (p < 0,05) than the displacement of arthroscopically implanted MATs (mean = 3,38 mm; SD = 0,85). The external displacement of medial open surgery transplants (mean = 4,71 mm; SD = 0,97) is significantly larger (p < 0,05) than the displacement of arthroscopically implanted MATs (mean = 2,36 mm; SD = 0,89). Conclusion. Graft position is influenced by the surgical technique; the radial displacement of arthroscopically implanted MATs is, both lateral and medial, significantly less than meniscal transplants implanted by open surgery. The clinical relevance remains to be determined