Skip to main content
OrthoPedia Patient
All Topics

Meniscus Tears: All-Inside Meniscus Repair Animation

  • Published: Jan 22, 2024
  • Duration 1m

Meniscus Tears: All-Inside Meniscus Repair Animation

This animated video demonstrates an all-inside meniscus repair to treat a meniscus tear.

The surgeon first finds the tear in the meniscus and makes sure that an all-inside repair is the best choice to fix it. The repair device is brought into the knee, and the spot for the first implant is chosen. The needle is inserted all the way through the tissue, and then the thumb wheel is spun backward, then forward to place the implant behind the meniscus. The surgeon pulls the needle out of the meniscus and picks the spot for the second implant, repeating the same steps. The device is then removed. What is left is a short loop, a long loop, and a long tail of suture. By grabbing all the sutures and pulling slightly this sets the two implants behind the meniscus so they can hold onto the tissue. The long loop is pulled, which tightens the short loop against the meniscus tear, bringing the torn edges back together. Then, the long tail is pulled to tighten the long loop against the meniscus tear, providing a strong repair with two sutures instead of just one. Once the surgeon has tightened the loops, the long suture tail is cut, and the all-inside meniscus repair is complete.
View Transcript

Meniscus Tears: All-Inside Meniscus Repair Animation

In this animation, the surgeon first identifies the meniscus tear and confirms that an all-inside repair is the most appropriate method. Once the tear is located, the repair device is introduced into the knee, and the optimal position for the first implant is selected.

A needle is passed completely through the meniscal tissue, and the thumb wheel on the device is rotated backward and then forward to deploy the implant behind the meniscus. The needle is withdrawn, and the same process is repeated at a second location to place another implant. After both implants are positioned, the repair device is removed from the knee.

At this point, a short loop, a long loop, and a long suture tail remain. Gently pulling on all the sutures seats the two implants behind the meniscus so they can securely grasp the tissue. Pulling the long loop tightens the short loop against the tear, bringing the torn edges of the meniscus back together.

The long suture tail is then pulled to tighten the long loop, creating a strong repair supported by two sutures rather than one. Once the repair is adequately tensioned, the excess suture is cut, and the all-inside meniscus repair is complete.