Dr. Roddy McGee on orthopedics: what the evidence says · JRE #945

What the evidence says 01 / RECORD

The guest stated that 15 to 22 percent of meniscal repairs fail. Peer-reviewed systematic reviews and meta-analyses of arthroscopic meniscal repair report pooled failure rates in a similar range, though the exact figure depends heavily on follow-up length and repair technique. A 2024 meta-analysis of 10 studies (1,004 patients) found a pooled failure rate of 20 percent (95% CI 15-25%) and a reoperation rate of 21 percent. A separate meta-analysis restricted to studies with a minimum 5-year follow-up found an overall failure rate of 19.1 percent, with over a third of failures occurring after the second postoperative year. A third meta-analysis found failure rates rising progressively with time since surgery: 12 percent at 0-1 years, 15 percent at 2-3 years, and 19 percent at 4-6 years. The guest's 15-22 percent figure falls within the range these reviews report, though it should be read as a reasonable point estimate rather than a fixed, universally agreed number, since individual studies vary considerably by tear type, technique, and follow-up duration.