Rheumatology
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To study long-term patient-relevant outcomes after meniscectomy, a surgical procedure associated with a high risk of knee osteoarthritis (OA). Principal objectives were to compare traumatic with degenerative meniscal tear and partial with subtotal meniscectomy. ⋯ The long-term outcome of meniscal injury and surgery appears to be determined largely by the type of meniscal tear. Furthermore, our findings support the use of minimal meniscal resection in the treatment of degenerative tears. We suggest that the disease processes associated with the development of OA of the joint cartilage may also be active in the meniscus, and that a tear in a meniscus with degenerative changes might be regarded as the first sign of OA of the joint.