Meniscal allograft

Written by Dr Sheila Strover on March 14, 2025

A meniscal allograft is a transplant of a meniscus from one person to another. Page updated June 2024 by Dr Sheila Strover (Clinical Editor)

meniscal allograft with bone plugs

Meniscal allograft using bone plugs to secure the graft.

meniscus allograft block

Meniscal allograft using a tongue-and-groove method of securing the graft with a bone bar.

Where does a meniscal allograft come from?

Usually the meniscus is taken ('harvested') from a cadaver donor, processed in a tissue bank to make it safe and inserted into living recipient, where it replaces their own meniscus. Nowadays it is often harvested still attached to a piece of donor bone.

The new meniscus is then slid into a recess made into the recipient's bone so that only the outer edges need to be sewn into place.

Peer-reviewed papers

  • Quote from peer-reviewed paper:

    "...the general expert opinion is still that it is a procedure that should be reserved for symptomatic meniscal loss. There are three main fixation methods that can be used to fix a MAT: suture-only fixation, double plug fixation and the keyhole technique. All fixation methods have similar outcomes..."

    Citation: Figueroa F, Figueroa D, Calvo R, Vaisman A, Espregueira-Mendes J. Meniscus allograft transplantation: indications, techniques and outcomes. EFORT Open Rev. 2019 Apr 25;4(4):115-120. doi: 10.1302/2058-5241.4.180052. PMID: 31057948; PMCID: PMC6491952.

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