We reviewed the cases of sixty-three patients who were more than forty
years old when they underwent arthroscopic partial medial meniscectomy.
Thirty-five patients returned for clinical evaluation and another eight
were evaluated by questionnaire and telephone interview. Over the
thirty-five-month follow-up period, progressive varus deformity and medial
joint-space narrowing were not observed. Of the twenty-seven knees in Group
I (non-degenerative tears) that underwent arthroscopic partial
meniscectomy, satisfactory results were found in 96 per cent. Of the
seventeen knees in Group II (degenerative tears) over-all satisfactory
results were found in only 65 per cent. A history of pre-existing
degenerative arthritis in patients with degenerative tears seemed to
correlate with a less favorable outcome.