Does arthroscopic partial meniscectomy always cause arthritis?

The goal of arthroscopic partial meniscectomy is to preserve a stable rim of meniscal cartilage, removing only unstable, diseased tissue. As one of the most common orthopedic procedures performed in the United States, arthroscopic partial meniscectomy developed as an alternative to open total meniscectomy that leads to degenerative changes in the knee over time. The short-term results of this meniscal-sparing procedure are favorable. Evidence of long-term results is limited to outcome measures that are not standardized. However, the long-term trend of clinical outcomes is satisfactory, whereas that of radiographic outcomes is significant for signs of osteoarthritis.