Pathological Anatomy of the Aging Meniscus

Abstract

In 21 autopsy subjects and 25 anatomical cadavers, both knee joints were dissected extensively to find: a) degenerative changes in the menisci of knee joints, especially horizontal tears and b) associated degenerative changes in the articular surfaces of the knee joint, in order to attempt a correlation between the two lesions. Thirty-nine horizontal tears of the meniscus in 21 patients were found, of which 32 were in the medial meniscus. There was no articular damage visible in three, minimal in eight, moderate in seven and severe in three subjects. The highest incidence was in the seventh and eighth decades with black males showing a slight preponderance. The degenerative meniscus with a horizontal tear is a part of the overall degenerative process in the knee joint and should be treated as such.

Incidence of Medial Meniscal Tears after Arthroscopic Assisted Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy

“…Within the variables assessed in our study, older dogs were more likely to have CMT. This was not surprising and may be explained by reduced resistance to supra‐physiological forces of an aging, and naturally degenerating meniscus . Interestingly, it did not appear to be a significant factor regarding the incidence of LMT.…”

The Basic Science of Human Knee Menisci

“…With advancing age, the meniscus becomes stiffer, loses elasticity, and becomes yellow. 78,95 Microscopically, there is a gradual loss of cellular elements with empty spaces and an increase in fibrous tissue in comparison with elastic tissue. 74 These cystic areas can initiate a tear, and with a torsional force by the femoral condyle, the superficial layers of the meniscus may shear off from the deep layer at the interface of the cystic degenerative change, producing a horizontal cleavage tear.…”

Bovine meniscal tissue exhibits age- and interleukin-1 dose-dependent degradation patterns and composition-function relationships

“…Degenerative meniscal lesions have been found not only in patients diagnosed with early OA but also in an asymptomatic control population, with incidence increasing with age in both genders . Both visual and MRI evidence of meniscal changes were found to precede evidence of cartilage changes, strongly implying that meniscal degeneration may be a precursor to the development of advanced knee OA. Understanding the mechanisms of meniscal degeneration may enable the diagnosis and preventive treatment of early knee OA, potentially slowing or reversing the progression of the disease.…”

“…Although associations of meniscal degeneration with knee osteoarthritis (OA) have long been suspected, little is known about the specific contributions of degenerative meniscal changes to OA pathogenesis. Meniscal tears have long been recognized as contributing factors to the progression of knee OA due to changes in tibiofemoral contact biomechanics and altered joint kinematics .…”