Abdulhamit Misir, Erdal Uzun, Ahmet Guney, Gokhan Sayer

The effect of the tear pattern and the number of preoperative locking episodes on the functional outcome following arthroscopic bucket-handle meniscal tear repair

Relatively larger size, displacement, the complexity of the bucket-handle meniscal tear (BHMT)s, and the fact that they can cause locking can be challenging for treatment. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of tear pattern and the number of preoperative locking episodes on the functional outcome and failure rate following arthroscopic BHMT repairs. 84 patients who underwent arthroscopic repair for BHMTs between 2013 and 2018 were included in the study. VAS, Lysholm, IKDC, Tegner, and overall satisfaction scale were used to assess functional and clinical outcomes. MRI was used for radiologic assessment method, and Barrett criteria were used for assessment clinical failure. The effects of BHMT pattern and the number of preoperative locking episodes were evaluated, and the effect of surgical and demographic features on failure was investigated following arthroscopic BHMT repair. The mean follow-up was 66.1 ± 16.2 months (range, 24-84 months). Improvement in VAS, Lyholm, IKDC scores, and patient satisfaction was significantly higher in patients with single locking history, and failure rate in this group was lower as well (p=0.036, p=0.000, p=0.001, p=0.000, p=0.015, respectively). Red--white (RW) zone tears, late repairs (>2 months), and smoking habits were found to be significantly higher in failed repairs (p=0.036, p=0.015, p=0.028, respectively). However, BHMT pattern did not affect clinical outcomes and failure rate (p

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