A surgical procedure during which the whole or a part of a cartilage disk is removed from a joint: Meniscectomy is almost always performed on a knee, or the knees.

A meniscectomy is performed when a meniscus, or connective tissue, has been badly damaged, usually as a result of an injury which causes the knee, or knees, to lock or to give way repeatedly.

Removing the damaged part of the structural component with a meniscectomy can cure the symptoms of the injury; however, it can also increase the likelihood of premature osteoarthritis; so, the operation is avoided whenever it is possible.