Meniscus repair versus debridement for meniscal tears in pediatric patients – predictors for treatment based on demographics

BACKGROUND: Pediatric and adolescent patients with meniscus tears have a relatively high rate of healing after meniscus repair – up to greater than 80% in the literature. Despite this fact, many patients undergo meniscus debridement for treatment of their meniscus tears. In this study, we investigated the demographic factors predictive of whether a pediatric patient would receive a meniscal repair or a meniscal debridement for their meniscal tear. METHODS: The California statewide ambulatory surgery database (OSHPD) was queried for all patients under 18 years old who underwent meniscus debridement or meniscus repair from 2008-2016. The effect of age, hospital setting (adult versus pediatric hospital), injury chronicity, gender, insurance type, race, and year of service was assessed using logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 13,906 pediatric patients had meniscal surgery during the timeframe. 83% (11,561/13,906) underwent meniscal debridement and 17% (2,345/13,906) underwent meniscal repair. Age, hospital type, nature of injury, gender, private insurance, being Hispanic, and year of service were statistically significant in predicting the odds of having meniscus repair versus meniscus debridement. Surgery at a children’s hospital increases the odds of having meniscus repair (p < 0.001). Of the 82.6% of pediatric patients (11,491/13,906) treated at non-children’s hospitals, 16% (1839) had repair and 84% underwent debridement (9,652). Of the 17.4% (2,415) treated at children’s hospitals, 21% (506) had repair and 79% (1,909) underwent debridement. As patients age, the odds of receiving a meniscus repair decrease (p < 0.001). Acute meniscus injury (p < 0.001) or private insurance (p < 0.05) increase the odds of having meniscus repair. However, females (p < 0.05) and Hispanics (p < 0.01) had decreased odds of having meniscus repair. As time between injury and surgery progressed, the odds of having meniscus repair versus meniscus debridement increased (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: There is increasing evidence that pediatric patients have successful outcomes after meniscal repair surgery. The results of this study demonstrate that the majority of pediatric patients with meniscus tears undergo a meniscal debridement rather than a repair. Treatment at a children’s hospital, private insurance, and a short time frame between injury and surgery were positive predictors of meniscus repair over debridement. The results of the study may help inform patients, families, and referring physicians about what type of treatment a patient may receive for a meniscus tear, based on their demographic profile.