Failure of arthroscopic meniscal repair following septic arthritis.

Three cases are described in which failure of arthroscopic meniscal repair performed with an inside-out technique occurred following postoperative septic arthritis. Confirmation of septic arthritis was made by bacterial culture of joint fluid aspirates. The treatment consisted of arthroscopic lavage and intravenous antibiotics. In all cases, diagnostic arthroscopy at the time of lavage showed an intact repair site. However, further follow-up arthroscopy revealed disruption at the repair site with no signs of healing.