# How Partial Meniscectomy Affects Contact Mechanics and Tissue Response

> **NIH NIH R01** · HOSPITAL FOR SPECIAL SURGERY · 2022 · $46,636

## Abstract

Functioning menisci are critical to knee joint health. If a damaged meniscus cannot be repaired, a section is
removed in a “partial meniscectomy” (PM) procedure. While PM can relieve pain and restore function, the long-
term result is an increased predisposition to osteoarthritis (OA), the development of which is often clinically
silent in the early years. The prevalence of joint degeneration subsequent to meniscal surgery is highly variable
across patients, with up to 40% of patients manifesting radiological evidence of the disease at 5 years post-
operatively. Despite a vast number of clinical studies, the risk factors associated with developing OA after PM
are essentially unknown. With such varied responses, it is impossible to counsel patients on expected outcome
after meniscal surgery. Given the fundamental role of the meniscus in distributing forces across the knee joint,
changes in knee mechanics that occur with PM have been implicated. The goal of this study is to determine
which knee-specific mechanical factors are predictors for the development of post-PM OA. Our primary
hypothesis is that the changes in the distribution of knee joint forces (e.g., contact stresses) after PM
will constitute a key risk factor for articular cartilage and meniscal degeneration, independent of
compartment. We will test this hypothesis by determining which mechanical factors adversely change the
distribution of knee joint forces (in vitro studies) and which are strong predictors for the development of post-
PM OA (in vivo studies). We will use: (a) a statistically driven experimentally validated computational approach
to identify geometric features, tissue properties, and kinematic characteristics that influence contact force
distribution across intact and PM knees, and (b) a mechanobiological analysis of a cohort of patients from pre-
to post- PM surgery. By using a broad array of synergistic models (cadaveric, computational, patient-based,
and statistical), our study will determine which “clinically identifiable” mechanical features are responsible for
significant changes in contact mechanics for post-PM knees. Our experimentally validated computational
models will be shared with clinicians and the wider scientific community for the classification of patients at “high
risk” for post-PM OA in whom modified surgical, pharmacological, and/or rehabilitation techniques could help to
mitigate these risk factors.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10614167
- **Project number:** 3R01AR075523-04S1
- **Recipient organization:** HOSPITAL FOR SPECIAL SURGERY
- **Principal Investigator:** Suzanne A. Maher
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $46,636
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2019-08-12 → 2024-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10614167

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10614167, How Partial Meniscectomy Affects Contact Mechanics and Tissue Response (3R01AR075523-04S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10614167. Licensed CC0.

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