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Had Knee Arthroscopy For A Torn Discoid Meniscus. MRI Showed Cartilage Loss On The Central Lateral Femoral Condyle. Suggest?
Question: I had a knee arthroscopy for a torn discoid meniscus. The 3 week post op MRI demonstrated large areas of full thickness cartilage loss on the central lateral femoral condyle and lateral tibial plateau. The body of the meniscus was found to be absent after the procedure. The x-rays taken at 8 weeks post op demonstrated advanced osteoarthritis in the lateral joint cavity. This is grade 4 lateral compartment wear. Orthopedic surgery consults obtained post op said I would need a partial lateral knee replacement in the very near future. The articular cartilage was intact on pre procedure MRI. ***What happened during arthroscopy to cause extensive cartilage damage***
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Hi and welcome to XXXXXXX thanks for the query.
it is questionable was there cartilage damage during menisceal tear or it was damaged during artroscopy.
if there wasnt cartilage injury on mri before the artroscopy it may suggest surgical complication or mistake. But even on mri sometimes minor cartilage injuries(fissures) might not be seen and In this case cartilage loss can occur during the procedure.
but if there wasn't preoperative cartilage damage then this is surgical complication which isn't commonly seen in isolated menisceal repair. I can't judge was there mistake without documentation but this is rarely seen if everything you said is right.of course,this is reported and known complication as In every other joint surgery. To reach meniscus surgeon sometimes must do small bone destruction and it was too excessive in your case obviously.
Osteoarthritis after only 8 weeks isn't good sign,but the outcome is always hardly predictable. It will certainly lead to arthrosis,but it is hard to say when will prothesis be necessary. It can be prevented or slowed down by good rehabilitation and medication so you need to focus on this now since history can't be changed.
wish you good health. Regards
it is questionable was there cartilage damage during menisceal tear or it was damaged during artroscopy.
if there wasnt cartilage injury on mri before the artroscopy it may suggest surgical complication or mistake. But even on mri sometimes minor cartilage injuries(fissures) might not be seen and In this case cartilage loss can occur during the procedure.
but if there wasn't preoperative cartilage damage then this is surgical complication which isn't commonly seen in isolated menisceal repair. I can't judge was there mistake without documentation but this is rarely seen if everything you said is right.of course,this is reported and known complication as In every other joint surgery. To reach meniscus surgeon sometimes must do small bone destruction and it was too excessive in your case obviously.
Osteoarthritis after only 8 weeks isn't good sign,but the outcome is always hardly predictable. It will certainly lead to arthrosis,but it is hard to say when will prothesis be necessary. It can be prevented or slowed down by good rehabilitation and medication so you need to focus on this now since history can't be changed.
wish you good health. Regards
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Thank-you so much for your answer.
You re welcome. I hope you will recover soon, just be patient. Regards
Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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