More than 1 million procedures for the total or partial removal of the meniscus are performed in the United States and Europe each year. However, it has been found that the knee can lose functionality when even small parts of the meniscus are removed, leading to degenerative changes in the joint. Healing of the medial meniscus in particular is problematic since blood vessels are present in only the outer 10-25% of the meniscus, making it desirable to preserve as much of the meniscus as possible.
展开▼
