The meniscus is an essential component of the knee joint, acting as a shock absorber as well as assisting in
the transmission of forces. Due to the meniscus importance of the knee, much of the current literature
focuses on treatment techniques that can spare and repair the meniscus when it is torn. The unique
vasculature of the meniscus often makes repair difficult or, in many cases, impossible. A current focus within
orthopedics has been on meniscal allograft transplantation to fill this gap. The lack of a universal surgical
technique for graft fixation, along with the current failure rates, demonstrates the need for further
improvements. The senior author proposes a novel technique for meniscal allograft transplantation that has
shown decreased blood loss and surgical time, while also reducing intra-operative trauma to the knee.
This case reports a 16-year-old patient who underwent a right lateral meniscal allograft transplant following
a large segmental defect tear of the lateral meniscus. The patient initially underwent arthroscopy and
meniscectomy with screw fixation of the lateral femoral condyle lesion. After physical therapy, the patient
experienced increased pain and swelling, with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrating a meniscal
defect unamenable to repair. The patient met indications for meniscal allograft transplantation given the
failed meniscectomy, absence of cartilage loss and significant osteoarthritis, and the patient's age of less
than 50 years old.
