Anterior Horn Tears of the Lateral Meniscus in Soccer Players

Purpose: The purpose of this retrospective study was to define the clinical and arthroscopic characteristics of anterior horn tears of the lateral meniscus. Type of Study: Case series. Methods: Fourteen patients with mean age of 20.2 years were enrolled in this institutional review board–approved study. All patients were soccer players with tears of the anterior horn of the lateral meniscus. All patients underwent physical examinations, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and arthroscopic treatment. Results: Common symptoms were a catching sensation in 10 patients (71.4%), pain at squatting in 9 patients (64.3%), and sense of giving way and effusion, each in 7 patients (50%). Five patients (35.7%) had lateral joint-line tenderness. McMurray’s test was positive in 6 (42.9%) and tears were diagnosed by MRI in 13 (92.8%) patients. Arthroscopic examination showed multiple longitudinal tears in the avascular white zone of the meniscus in 7 patients (50%). Conclusions: These data show that the McMurray test and joint-line tenderness had a low diagnostic value in diagnosing anterior horn tears of the lateral meniscus. MRI, however, had a high diagnostic value. Common arthroscopic findings included multiple longitudinal tears within the white zone of the anterior horn. Level of Evidence: Level IV.