Minor Knee Surgery May Increase Risk of Arthritis in Some Patients

Patients who are considering minor knee surgery to repair a meniscal tear have a new reason to give the decision serious thought. A study presented to the Radiological Society of North America last week suggests that the common surgery may lead to arthritis and cartilage loss in certain patients. 

The study’s author, Dr. Frank Roemer of Boston University School of Medicine, compared the MRI scans of 355 arthritic knees to a control group of patients with no arthritis. The average patient in the study was 60.2 years old and overweight. 

Roemer and his colleagues found that 100 percent of the knees that were operated on to repair a meniscus tear developed arthritis within a year. Only 59 percent of the knees that did not undergo an operation developed arthritis. 

In a recent article in Outpatient Surgery, Dr. Roemer said that the implications of the common surgery "might need to be discussed more carefully in order to avoid accelerated knee joint degeneration."   

Read the full article to learn more.

Image source: Becky Stern