Abstract

Arthroscopic repair of certain meniscal tears has become more frequent with the realization that meniscal preservation rather than resection may have beneficial long-term effects on articular cartilage. Conventional arthroscopic repair techniques are technically demanding, require accessory incisions, introduce possibilities of neurovascular injury, and require long periods of immobilization, This study describes a technique whereby a laser tissue bond is formed in repairing torn meniscal cartilage using a Nd:YAG laser operating at a primary wavelength of 1.06 μm directed through a fiber-optic delivery device.

© 1988 Optical Society of America