The Parker Institute publish in the BMJ

The Parker Institute at Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, are happy to be among a group of researchers who rigorously designed, performed, and successfully reported a prospective cohort study in the BMJ: Patient reported outcomes in patients undergoing arthroscopic partial meniscectomy for traumatic or degenerative meniscal tears’

The manuscript builds on the premises

  • High quality evidence shows only marginal short term benefit of arthroscopic partial meniscectomy above placebo or non-surgical treatment for middle aged and older individuals with degenerative meniscal tears
  • However, arthroscopic partial meniscectomy is routine surgery for both patients with traumatic and degenerative meniscal tears
  • Arthroscopic partial meniscectomy was presumed to improve patient reported outcomes to a greater extent in individuals with traumatic tears than in those with degenerative tears

What the study reveals:

  • This prospective cohort study by Thorlund et al reveal that there are no difference in improvement in patient reported outcomes in patients undergoing arthroscopic partial meniscectomy for traumatic tears and those with degenerative tears
  • Thus it is highly likely (based on indirect evidence) that only marginal benefits of arthroscopic partial meniscectomy exists in patients with traumatic tears

 

Citation:

Thorlund JB, Englund M, Christensen R, Nissen N, Pihl K, Jørgensen U, Schjerning J, Lohmander LS. Patient reported outcomes in patients undergoing arthroscopic partial meniscectomy for traumatic or degenerative meniscal tears:comparative prospective cohort study. BMJ. 2017 Feb 2;356:j356.