Long term results after arthroscopic resection of medial plicae of the knee-a prospective study.

PURPOSE: The medial plica (MP) is a normal anatomic structure consisting of a fold in the synovial layer of the joint. Arthroscopic resection is currently used as a gold standard procedure in patients with medial plica syndrome (MPS), but there are few prospective studies that analyze the long-term functional outcomes of plica resection.

METHODS: The purpose of this prospective study was to evaluate the long-term results of arthroscopic resection of the medial plicae of the knee. Between 1999 and 2014 we included 267 patients that showed MRI evidence of MP out of the 5682 knee arthroscopies that we performed. We recorded pre and post-operative Tegner Lysholm knee scale scores (TLKSS) for up to 36 (3, 6, 12, 24, 36) months. The EQ-5D questionnaire was used to measure the patients' generic health status.

RESULTS: The mean values of the TLKSS were 68 (61-82) pre-operative, 87 (81-94) at the 3-month follow-up and 94 (92-97) at the 6-month follow-up. The long term results (TLKSS at 12, 24, and 36 months post-operatively) were 94.8 (91-98), 94.8 (90-97), and 94.5 (92-97) respectively. The EQ-5D and EQ-VAS showed significant improvement between each of the first three data registering moments (pre-operative, 3 and 6 month follow-up).

CONCLUSION: The quality of the treatment and the final functional result is directly influenced by the type of plica that creates the symptomatology. We have achieved good overall results for our patients, the ones with less cartilage damage having the fastest recovery time. The arthroscopic resection is a very good option for medial plicae that do not respond to conservative treatment, and it must be initiated as a first option when cartilage damage is suspected.