RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 The METEOR trial: No rush to repair a torn meniscus
JF Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine
JO Cleve Clin J Med
FD Cleveland Clinic
SP 226
OP 232
DO 10.3949/ccjm.81a.13075
VO 81
IS 4
A1 Yong Gil Hwang
A1 C. Kent Kwoh
YR 2014
UL http://www.ccjm.org/content/81/4/226.abstract
AB It is uncertain whether arthroscopic partial meniscectomy is better than physical therapy in patients who have a symptomatic torn meniscus on top of osteoarthritis of the knee. The Meniscal Repair in Osteoarthritis Research (METEOR) trial concluded that physical therapy is acceptable at first, and that surgery is not routinely needed. In patients assigned to physical therapy who eventually needed surgery, the delay resulting from a trial of conservative management did not impair outcomes at 12 months from the initial presentation. Here, we analyze the background, design, findings, and clinical implications of the METEOR trial.