Arthroscopic partial meniscectomy is no better than sham surgery for reducing knee symptoms in patients with degenerative meniscal tears, a New England Journal of Medicine study finds.

At 12 months, both groups showed improvements in knee symptoms, pain, and quality-of-life, but there were no significant differences between the groups. In addition, the groups did not differ in the number of patients who required subsequent knee surgery.The authors conclude: “These results argue against the current practice of performing arthroscopic partial meniscectomy in patients with a degenerative meniscal tear.”

 

Source: NEJM article
Background: NEJM Journal Watch summary on arthroscopic surgery for knee osteoarthritis