Classification of Meniscal Tear
A Meniscus tear can be classified in various ways: by anatomic location, by proximity to blood supply, etc. Various tear patterns and configurations have been described. These include:
- Radial tears
- Flap or parrot-beak tears
- Peripheral, longitudinal tears
- Bucket-handle tears
- Horizontal cleavage tears
- Complex, degenerative tears
These tears can then further classified by their proximity to meniscus blood supply, namely whether they are located in the “red-red,” “red-white,” or “white-white” zones.
The functional importance of these classifications, however, is to ultimately determine whether a meniscus is repairable. The repairability of a meniscus is dependent upon a number of factors. These include:
- Age/strength
- Activity level
- Tear pattern
- Chronicity of the tear
- Associated injuries (anterior cruciate ligament injury)
- Healing Potential
Read more about this topic: Tear Of Meniscus
Famous quotes containing the word tear:
“He shall not die, by G—, cried my uncle Toby.
MThe ACCUSING SPIRIT which flew up to heaven’s chancery with the oath, blush’d as he gave it in;—and the RECORDING ANGEL as he wrote it down, dropp’d a tear upon the word, and blotted it out for ever.”
—Laurence Sterne (1713–1768)