Mechanical symptoms and meniscal tear: a reappraisal.

Authors :: McHugh CG
Matzkin EG
Katz JN
Source :: Osteoarthritis and cartilage [Osteoarthritis Cartilage] 2022 Feb; Vol. 30 (2), pp. 178-183. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Sep 29.
Publication Year :: 2022
Abstract: Objective: To identify and summarize literature related to the association between mechanical symptoms (catching and locking of the knee), the presence of meniscal tear, and outcomes after arthroscopic surgery.<br />Design: We searched PubMed and hand-searched reference lists for relevant articles and selected 38 for analysis.<br />Results: Mechanical symptoms appear to have modest sensitivity (ranging 0.32-0.69), specificity (ranging 0.45-0.74) and positive predictive value (ranging 0.75-0.81) for meniscal tear. There is also very little evidence to suggest that those with mechanical symptoms experience better outcomes after arthroscopic surgery.<br />Conclusion: Our examination of the literature does not support the hypothesis that mechanical symptoms are related to the presence of meniscal tear or portend better outcomes after arthroscopic surgery.<br /> (Copyright © 2021 Osteoarthritis Research Society International. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)