Repair of medial meniscus posterior root tear is effective for root healing and cartilage regeneration in opening wedge high tibial osteotomy

Purpose This study aimed to determine whether the repair of a medial meniscus posterior root tear (MMPRT) is effective for MMPRT healing, cartilage regeneration, and clinical outcomes in opening wedge high tibial osteotomy (OWHTO). Methods This retrospective study included 80 patients who underwent OWHTO and subsequent second-look arthroscopy. The patients were divided into OWHTO-with-MMPRT-repair ( n = 40) and OWHTO alone ( n = 40) groups, and the healing rates (complete/partial/failure) were compared. Each group was further divided into over- and under-corrected subgroups to compare healing rates. The International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) grade, cartilage defect size, Koshino stage, ICRS cartilage repair assessment score of the medial femoral condyle (MFC), and International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) scores between the OWHTO-with-MMPRT-repair and OWHTO alone groups were compared according to whether microfracture was performed on the MFC. Results The overall healing rate of the MMPRT was higher in the OWHTO-with-MMPRT-repair group than that in the OWHTO alone group ( P