Effects of Partial and Total Meniscectomy on Kinematics of the Knee: A Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study

Meniscal injuries frequently occur in combination with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears. Tears in the menisci that occur acutely with ACL injury are located either medially or laterally, but in ACL deficient knees chronic instability most commonly leads to meniscal tears in the posterior horn of medial meniscus (Smith & Barrett, 2001). Levy et al. (1982) suggested that medial meniscus might act as a mechanical wedge preventing tibial anterior translation due to its firm attachment to the tibia at the posterior horn. Previous biomechanical studies infer the role of the meniscus through measurements of alternations in forces or knee motions (Shoemaker & Markolf, 1986; Allen, 2000), however no study has provided clear images of the motion or deformation of the meniscus itself. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of anterior cruciate ligament resection, as well as partial and complete meniscectomies on knee kinematics in response to anterior loading. Application of loads during magnetic resonance (MR) imaging allows us to visualize the motion and deformation of the menisci, and therefore obtain a more clear understanding of its role in knee stability.