Discoid Lateral Meniscus

Partial and total meniscectomies are the most common treatments for patients with discoid lateral meniscus (DLM). We conducted this study to quantitatively assess and compare the outcomes of partial and total meniscectomies for DLM. We also assessed whether the outcomes differed by the type of DLM, duration of follow-up, and age of patients. We searched PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane database to identify relevant studies that reported outcomes, including Ikeuchi grade, the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) Subjective Knee score, Lysholm score, or failure rate, in patients who underwent partial and total meniscectomies. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for dichotomous outcomes, whereas mean difference and 95% CIs were calculated for continuous outcomes. Fifteen studies met the inclusion criteria. The overall rate of excellent (E) or good (G) postoperatively was 85.5% (95% CI: 79.5–91.5%). The E or G rate of partial meniscectomy was significantly higher than that of total meniscectomy (OR= 1.97, 95% CI: 1.03–3.75, p = 0.038). Besides, patients younger than 20 years had a significantly higher E or G rate than those older than 20 years. (OR = 3.12, 95% CI: 1.18–8.23, p = 0.022). We also found the E or G rate tended to decrease from short- to long-term follow-up. Our systematic review and meta-analysis showed that that partial meniscectomy could achieve better outcomes compared with total meniscectomy for DLM patients.