I’m a world renew expert in:
The meniscus is the joint shock absorber that most frequently suffers injuries in our body. It can present a traumatic or degenerative type of lesion. The first is frequent in young individuals and often related to concomitant ligament injuries in the context of a knee sprain. The second is related to age, weight, and repetitive load-bearing activities (sports or work) on the knee. Some types of meniscal injuries can be repaired while in some cases it is necessary to proceed with a meniscectomy, which is the removal of part of the injured meniscus. Nowadays, all these surgical procedures are performed through arthroscopy, a minimally invasive procedure that allows visualization of the knee joint structures through a camera that enters the joint through an access of less than 1 centimeter at the skin level. I am an expert in treating more complex meniscal pathologies that are difficult to diagnose such as discoid meniscus, hypermobile meniscus, meniscocapsular lesions (ramp lesion), and meniscal root lesions.
Meniscal root tear repair
A meniscus ready for transplantation
In some patients, meniscectomy, which is the removal of part of the meniscal fibrocartilage following a tear, is not well tolerated. Over the years, the patient develops progressive pain and cartilage degeneration. In these cases, it is possible to proceed with the transplantation of a new meniscus taken from a cadaver to restore the joint’s integrity. This is a technically complex procedure, performed by few surgeons in Europe, for which the Hospital where I work in Barcelona is a worldwide reference center. I often provide training in Italy, teaching colleagues from all over the country to perform this type of surgical technique.
During sports activities, anterior cruciate ligament rupture is very common. In young and active patients, its surgical reconstruction is indicated. Several techniques have been described for its reconstruction. Personally, I use more than 10 different surgical techniques adpting them to the needs of the patient, but also to the anatomy of each specific knee and the associated injuries we face with during the ligament
reconstruction. It is increasingly important nowadays to individualize surgery and offer specific treatment to each patient. For this reason, despite being a type of intervention performed in practically every hospital, it is advisable to have the procedure done in highly specialized centers with surgeons who perform a high volume of this type of surgery.
Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in a Child
Joint prostheses are used to replace portions of joints that have degenerated over time. In recent years, I increasingly try to preserve the knee joint as much as possible, that is why I use unicompartmental prostheses that replace only one-third of the joint surface. It is a technique that allows, especially for young and active people, faster rehabilitation, less pain, and in some cases even a return to sports activities. Unicompartmental prostheses cannot be implanted in all knees, and only careful analysis can determine which patients are candidates for this type of technique.
