Pathological anatomy of the aging meniscus.

In 21 autopsy subjects and 25 anatomical cadavers, both knee joints were dissected extensively to find: a) degenerative changes in the menisci of knee joints, especially horizontal tears and b) associated degenerative changes in the articular surfaces of the knee joint, in order to attempt a correlation between the two lesions. Thirty-nine horizontal tears of the meniscus in 21 patients were found, of which 32 were in the medial meniscus. There was no articular damage visible in three, minimal in eight, moderate in seven and severe in three subjects. The highest incidence was in the seventh and eighth decades with black males showing a slight preponderance. The degenerative meniscus with a horizontal tear is a part of the overall degenerative process in the knee joint and should be treated as such.