The answer is very difficult, because the degenerative meniscal ruptures are very different and not all are resolved smoothing the meniscus degenerations .Effectively simple smoothing can temporarily solve the problem, but in the medium term the patient has back pain and cartilaginous lesions progress. The problem is more complex when the meniscal lesion plus there is an associated deviation of femoro-tibial axis or when degenerative tears are complex in which besides the meniscus smoothing is necessary to resect an important part of it. In summary to medium term poor outcome

I agree completely with Antonio.  Degenerative tears are probably a stage in the development of osteoarthrosis which is probably related to chronic overload. Joint loading is the sum of many unmeasurable factors including weight, height (=lever arms), total muscle activity including sarcopenia, limb alignment in all planes (coronal, sagittal, transverse), articular surface contract areas, foot anatomy and position, etc.  Additionally are biological factors some of which reflect reaction to mechanical loading, some related to age, some to genetics.  Thus a study of one single variable (smoothing...how does one measure smoothing) in the face of all other uncontrolled variables can not provide very powerful evidence. 

Definitetely, I agree

There is no question in my mind that many in vivo orthopaedic animal models want for lack of long-term assessment. Meniscal tears are no exception. Unfortunately cost becomes a major issue when maintaining animals for long periods of time; surgical reconstructions are comparatively cheap but animal maintenance can become prohibitive...my comments above are the reality when modelling human orthopaedic disease in vivo and which can not be replaced by laboratory-based evaluations.