Is Concomitant Contralateral Arthroscopic Meniscectomy Effective in Patients Undergoing Unilateral Total Knee Replacement for Knee Osteoarthritis?

Background/Objectives: In patients requiring unilateral total knee arthroplasty who have relatively mild but symptomatic degenerative osteoarthritis in the contralateral knee, there is ongoing debate regarding whether active intervention, such as arthroscopic surgery, should be performed concurrently or whether conservative management is more appropriate. This study compares patients who underwent simultaneous arthroscopic surgery on the contralateral knee with those who received only conservative treatment, and evaluates the effectiveness of performing arthroscopic surgery concurrently with total knee arthroplasty. Methods: From 2007 to 2013, 44 patients underwent unilateral total knee arthroplasty with simultaneous contralateral arthroscopic meniscectomy (Group 1), while 70 patients underwent unilateral total knee arthroplasty and received conservative treatment for degenerative osteoarthritis of the contralateral knee (Group 2). All patients were followed for a minimum of two years. Clinical outcomes were evaluated and compared using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS); Knee Society Score (KSS); and Lysholm score at preoperative, 1-month, 3-month, 1-year, and 2-year postoperative intervals. Results: At 1 and 3 months postoperatively, all outcome measures showed improvement compared to preoperative values, with Group 1 demonstrating significantly better results. At 1 and 2 years postoperatively, all three scores remained improved compared to preoperative levels but showed a declining trend relative to the early postoperative period, and no significant differences were observed between the two groups. Conclusions: In patients with degenerative osteoarthritis of the knee, simultaneous arthroscopic meniscectomy of the contralateral knee during unilateral total knee arthroplasty was associated with better early outcomes; however, no clinical or statistical differences were observed at 12 months.