Meniscal allograft transplantation
Nick Smith has published numerous research papers on meniscal allograft transplantation: He has published systematic reviews on the patient outcomes following transplant surgery, and also whether it reduces the risk of future osteoarthritis. These papers showed that on average, meniscal allograft transplantation improves results for patients. There is some early evidence that shows meniscal allograft transplantation has the potential to reduce the risk of osteoarthritis, but this has not been definitively proven. Therefore, the main reason to perform the operation is for pain relief and improved function. Nick Smith published the first pilot randomised trial (a type of high-quality trial where patients are randomly allocated to either meniscal transplantation or physiotherapy). The results showed that patients improved more with surgery than physiotherapy. However, this was a small-scale study and therefore a full trial across a number of countries, including the UK, Europe, Canada and Australia, is set to start in January 2023. Nick Smith is a co-applicant, and will be recruiting to this study.