Arthroscopic Knee Surgery

Almost all arthroscopic knee surgery is done on an outpatient basis. Your hospital or surgery center will contact you about the specific details for your surgery, but usually you will be asked to arrive at the hospital an hour or two prior to your surgery. Do not eat or drink anything after midnight the night before your surgery. Arthroscopic surgery is not limited to the knee: also common is arthroscopy of the shoulder, ankle, wrist, elbow, and hip.

Knee arthroscopy has in many cases replaced the classic arthrotomy that was performed in the past. Today knee arthroscopy is commonly performed for treating with damaged meniscus cartilage,reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament and for cartilage microfracturing.

Arthroscopy can also be performed just for diagnosing and checking of the knee; however, the latter use has been mainly replaced by magnetic resonance imaging.

How is arthroscopic surgery performed?

When a knee arthroscopy is performed, a camera is inserted into the joint through a small incision (about one centimeter). The arthroscopic surgery camera is attached to a fiberoptic light source and shows a picture of the inside of the joint on a television monitor.

The surgeon uses water under pressure to "inflate" the knee allowing more maneuverability and to remove any debris. One or more other incisions are made to insert instruments that can treat the underlying problem. For example, a shaver can be inserted to trim the edges of a meniscus tear.

In the study, 180 patients with knee pain were randomized into three groups. One group received debridement, in which worn, torn, or loose cartilage is cut away and removed with the aid of a pencil-thin viewing tube called an arthroscope. The second group underwent arthroscopic lavage, in which loose cartilage is flushed out. The third group underwent simulated arthroscopic surgery; small incisions were made, but no instruments were inserted and no cartilage removed.

The people who did not have surgery on their cartilage did better than the people who had some of their cartilage removed.