The meniscus as a cruciate ligament substitute

Transferred and transplanted menisci do attach to bone, do become vascularized and do attain sufficient strength to be used as a cruciate substitute. They also appear to undergo metaplasia, looking more ligamentous as time goes on in response to the new functional demands. The medial meniscus has been used as a graft for the posterior cruciate ligament in ten cases with good results in seven, failure in two and one patient being lost to follow-up. Further investigation is necessary to answer questions regarding the long term results in animals and humans and the feasibility of complete transplantation and the use of meniscus banks.