Pediatric meniscal surgery in Italy: A 10-year epidemiological nationwide registry study

• Published in: Heliyon 2024-08, Vol.10 (15), p.e35353, Article e35353
• Main Authors: Riganti, Andrea, Bigoni, Marco, Pierpaoli, Edoardo, Caliandro, Marco, Piscitelli, Daniele, Nicolaou, Nicolas, Rigamonti, Luca, Turati, Marco
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Children; Epidemiology; Incidence; Meniscus; Registry; Surgery
• ISSN: 2405-8440; 2405-8440
• DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e35353

Over the last two decades the incidence of meniscal injuries has grown amongst the pediatric population predominantly due to greater involvement in sporting activities. The treatment and the natural history represent a socioeconomic burden for healthcare systems. This study demonstrates the epidemiology of meniscal tears treated surgically in Italy from 2010 to 2019 in a population up to 18 years. Data was collected from the National Archive of Hospital Discharges. ICD9-CM classification was used to select surgically treated meniscal injuries. Concomitant treatment of associated lesions were excluded. Data on the national population was retrieved from the Italian National Institute for Statistics (ISTAT). Statistical analyses were performed. 17,449 isolated meniscal tears were surgically treated with a mean incidence of 20.6 per 100.000 in the Italian population aged up to 18 from 2010 to 2019. The mean age of patients was 15.85 with 89 % aged 14 or older. 30 % of the population was female. The incidence of medial meniscal surgery was higher than for the lateral meniscus. A declining trend in surgical incidence was observed. The mean hospitalization time was 1.53 days. Our study reveals a reduction in the total number of surgeries performed over the time frame and a significant rise in the incidence of meniscal lesions in pediatric patient above at the age of 13, especially in males. Despite a worldwide shift towards meniscal preservation, this trend is not evident in Italy as the current ICD9-CM classification does not differentiate between meniscectomy and meniscal repair, although an overall reduction in surgery may imply better management. Cohort study; Level of evidence III. •Large scale epidemiology data of pediatric meniscal lesion treatment.•Higher incidence of medial meniscal surgery than lateral.•Declining trend in the number of meniscal treatments throughout the years.•Rate of meniscal treatment increases with age.