We reviewed the cases of 101 patients who had an isolated medial
meniscectomy after the age of forty-five years. Sixty-six patients were
available for re-evaluation at an average of 10.8 years after operation.
The patients were grouped according to preoperative radiographs. Patients
with normal preoperative radiographs had a 90 per cent chance of having a
good or excellent result, while patients with pre-existing moderate or
marked degenerative changes had only a 21 per cent chance of a good or
excellent result. The patient's age per se did not appear to affect the
results, but pre-existing degenerative arthritis clearly diminished the
quality of the result. Other causes of symptoms in the medial aspect of the
joint, such as osteonecrosis, must be carefully excluded prior to
meniscectomy in an elderly patient.