Surgical suturing of a damaged meniscus at our clinic in Krakow

Usually, meniscus damage occurs as a result of a twisting knee injury – when the cartilage gets stuck between the edges of the tibial and femoral condyles. This causes a fracture. One of the possible ways of treating this injury is to apply meniscal suture.

Diagnosis of a damaged meniscus begins with an interview with the patient, assessment of the knee condition and a series of physical tests. Imaging tests are also extremely useful in the case of meniscus damage. Thanks to X-ray we can rule out possible fractures within the joint. Ultrasound and magnetic resonance allow us to determine the exact extent and location of damage. After a complete diagnosis, the doctor directs the patient to surgery – meniscus suturing will restore the knee to maximum efficiency.

Meniscus suturing is one of the most frequently chosen treatment methods. The procedure is minimally invasive and shortens the time of hospital stay to a minimum. After the surgery, the patient remains under constant medical care until the completion of rehabilitation.

We begin the meniscus suture operation by making a standard access to the knee joint – two small skin incisions are made for this purpose. All internal elements of the joint are carefully examined – the medial meniscus, lateral meniscus, articular cartilage and ligaments. A special hook is used to make the injury visible. If there is damage to the cartilage, a meniscus suture offers a really good prognosis.

We determine the extent of the damage and then decide which method of repair will be optimal. The goal of the operation is to save the meniscus. We implant a suture that will bring the damaged fragment closer to the joint capsule, allowing for adhesion and cartilage regeneration. We use special tools to apply blood to the meniscus tissue to increase the healing potential. Once the damaged area is prepared, a suture is inserted through a special gutter. This is a surgical thread connected to two anchors. Proper placement of the anchors in the meniscus allows intra-articular suturing.

The next stage of the operation is to check the stability of the meniscus. If we see that the meniscus is adequately attached to the joint capsule, we inject bone marrow taken from the patient beforehand, which is rich in stem cells and growth factors, into the cartilage thus secured. Soaking the meniscus tissue with such a preparation increases the healing potential significantly. The final stage of the meniscus suture procedure is rinsing the joint and suturing the skin incisions.