Patient outcomes following T-Fix meniscal repair and a modifiable,progressive rehabilitation program,a retrospective study

INTRODUCTION: This retrospective study presents clinical patient outcomes following meniscal repair using T-Fix devices and a modifiable, progressive rehabilitation program. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-two patients (35 males and 17 females) with a mean age of 26.7 years (range 13-50 years) representing all of the patients who underwent arthroscopic meniscal repair (43 medial meniscus, 12 lateral meniscus) over a 3-year period by the same surgeon (D.C.) (55 menisci) participated in this study. Thirty-two of the patients (62%) had an associated ACL tear. All patients with an ACL tear underwent reconstruction (tibialis anterior allograft) at the time of meniscal repair. All meniscal tears were located in either the red-red zone (29) or the red-white zone (26). All patients who underwent meniscal repair participated in a modifiable (based on meniscal tear size, type, and location) progressive rehabilitation program. Operative notes and photographs were reviewed to identify the meniscal tear location, tear type, tear length, and the number of T-Fix devices used. Orthopedic clinic and physical therapy reports were also reviewed for postoperative range of motion, knee joint effusion, knee joint pain, McMurray test findings, and single-leg broad-jump test performance (90% bilateral equivalence goal). The average postoperative clinical follow-up period was 10.3 months (range 4-24 months). RESULTS: Most (22/23, 96%) patients who underwent meniscal repair alone displayed excellent results. All patients (32/32, 100%) who underwent combined ACL reconstruction-meniscal repair displayed excellent results. During an acute event such as a sudden directional change while running or contact with another player, 5 of these patients re-injured their meniscus at the repair site in conjunction with tearing the reconstructed ACL at 12+/-3 months following the index surgical procedure. Each of these 1-2 cm meniscal tears had been previously repaired with two T-Fix devices. CONCLUSION: The T-Fix device used in combination with a modifiable progressive rehabilitation program produced excellent clinical patient outcomes among this patient group.