OSTEONECROSIS AFTER CONTACT NEODYMIUM-YTTRIUM ALUMINUM GARNET ARTHROSCOPIC LASER MENISCECTOMY

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this report is to describe two cases of oste onecrosis that occurred after arthroscopic meniscectomy with a contact neodymium:yttrium aluminum garnet laser system. The patients develope d increasing knee pain and disability 5 months and 6 months after lase r meniscectomy. MR imaging showed subchondral osteonecrosis in the fem oral condyle and tibial plateau immediately adjacent to the site of la ser meniscectomy in both patients. One patient required a total knee r eplacement to alleviate knee symptoms, and the other patient required a tibial osteotomy and surgical elevation of collapsed tibial articula r surface. CONCLUSION. To our knowledge, this complication of laser ar throscopic meniscectomy has not been reported in the radiology literat ure. The clinical and MR imaging features of this important complicati on are described and possible causative mechanisms are discussed.