science

Meniscal cartilage replacement therapy

Meniscal cartilage replacement therapy is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Meniscal cartilage replacement therapy rather than just read about it. In short: Meniscal cartilage replacement therapy is surgical replacement of the meniscus of the knee as a treatment for where the meniscus is so damaged that it would otherwise need to be removed. Anatomy The meniscus is a C-shaped piece of fibrocartilage located at the peripheral aspect of the knee joint that offers lubrication and nutrition to the joint.

Key takeaways

Meniscal cartilage replacement therapy belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
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Reproduce the core statement of Meniscal cartilage replacement therapy from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Meniscal cartilage replacement therapy is surgical replacement of the meniscus of the knee as a treatment for where the meniscus is so damaged that it would otherwise need to be removed.

Anatomy The meniscus is a C-shaped piece of fibrocartilage located at the peripheral aspect of the knee joint that offers lubrication and nutrition to the joint. Each knee has two menisci, medial and lateral, whose purpose is to provide space between the tibia and the femur, preventing friction and allowing for the diffusion of articular cartilage. The majority of the meniscus has no blood supply. As a result, if the meniscus is damaged, from trauma or with age, it is unable to undergo the body’s normal healing process. Therefore, a torn piece can begin to move inside the joint, get caught between the bones, and cause pain, swelling, and decreased mobility. However, recent research has called into question whether many meniscus tears actually cause pain or are simply part of the normal degenerative process of aging. A 2008 study in the New England Journal of Medicine which shows that about 60% of meniscus tears cause no pain and are found in asymptomatic subjects. The three major treatments for a damaged meniscus are repair, removal, and transplantation. The surgery is often carried out arthroscopically.

Repair During repair, the tissues are securely held together long enough for biological healing to occur. One procedure involves threading long needles into the meniscus and out an incision in the back of the knee through the aid of a guide tube called a cannula. The suture thread ends are tied together on the outside of the knee capsule layer to bring the tear together. Another procedure requires specially designed devices that employ multiple sutures and knot pusher instruments to allow surgeons to provide excellent meniscal repair with just a single 1 ½” incision. The majority of meniscal tears are not suitable for repair and instead the torn piece is removed, known as a meniscectomy. The torn portion of the meniscus is cut and sucked out of the joint, leaving behind as much normal meniscal cartilage as possible. The remaining meniscal rim is then rebalanced and contoured to provide a mechanically optimal shape.

Replacement In some cases, the meniscal tear is so extensive that the entire meniscus must be removed, leaving the joint prone to constant pain and swelling. Removal of the meniscus cartilage leads to progressive, degenerative arthritis of the knee joint. Replacing the badly damaged or deficient meniscus with a meniscus transplant from a human donor restores normal knee structure and helps protect the remaining joint surfaces. Meniscal transplantation is relatively uncommon, although it is gaining popularity. Meniscal transplantation was previously indicated for patients with mild arthritis who are younger than 50 years of age. The population for whom meniscal transplantation is appropriate has expanded. Survival data from a recent, long-term follow-up study shows that meniscal transplantation is also successful in older, arthritic patients with a success rate of 89.4% (42 of 47 transplants) at an average of 4.4 years. Meniscal transplantation offers patients with badly damaged cartilage an alternative to total joint replacement, and allows patients to pursue active lifestyles including impact sports.

See also Knee cartilage replacement therapy Cartilage

References

“Meniscal Transplants.” The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org. March 2003. Sapega, Alexander. “Meniscus Repair vs. Removal.” The Knee and Shoulder Centers of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Pinkowski, John. “Meniscal Transplantation – A good choice for relieving pain and restoring mobility.” Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Outlook :Quarterly. Fall Quarter 2004. Stone KR, Walgenbach AW, Turek TJ, Freyer A, Hill MD. “Meniscus allograft survival in patients with moderate to severe unicompartmental arthritis: a 2- to 7-year follow-up.” Arthroscopy. 2006 May;22(5):469-78.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Meniscal cartilage replacement therapy

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Meniscal cartilage replacement therapy claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Meniscal cartilage replacement therapy before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Meniscal cartilage replacement therapy ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Meniscal cartilage replacement therapy

In research: Meniscal cartilage replacement therapy appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Meniscal cartilage replacement therapy in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Meniscal cartilage replacement therapy is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Orthopedic surgical procedures, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Meniscal cartilage replacement therapy outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Meniscal cartilage replacement therapy in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Meniscal cartilage replacement therapy means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
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Frequently asked questions

What is Meniscal cartilage replacement therapy in simple terms?

Meniscal cartilage replacement therapy is surgical replacement of the meniscus of the knee as a treatment for where the meniscus is so damaged that it would otherwise need to be removed. Anatomy The meniscus is a C-shaped piece of fibrocartilage located at the peripheral aspect of the knee joint th…

Why does Meniscal cartilage replacement therapy matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Meniscal cartilage replacement therapy?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Meniscal cartilage replacement therapy.