Review of Arnoczky and Warren on the microvasculature of the human meniscus

This classic discusses the original publication ‘Microvasculature of the human meniscus’ by Drs Arnoczky and Warren on the microvascular anatomy of 20 cadaveric menisci. They described a perimeniscal capillary plexus, which supplies only the peripheral 10%–25% of the menisci. This description laid the anatomical and physiological foundation for meniscus tear treatment including the genesis of the ‘red-red’, ‘red-white’ and ‘white-white’ classification of meniscal lesions based on the visual assessment of blood supply. This was later translated clinically in the peripheral zones of the meniscus typically treated with repairs due to the increased vascularity of these regions. This study has generated 981 citations since 1982, ultimately becoming one of the most cited papers in the orthopaedic literature.