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Arthroscopic Surgery
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Arthroscopic surgery
involves the use of a small telescope, called an arthroscope, to look inside
joints. The joints typically amenable to arthroscopic surgery include the
knee, the shoulder, the elbow, and the ankle. |
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The arthroscope is about
the size of a pencil and is inserted into the joint through an incision less
than ½ inch long (referred to as a portal.) Other instruments of the same
size are also inserted into the knee in order to probe, excise, or repair
injured tissues. The viewing of the joint through such small instruments
requires more than one angle of approach. Therefore, most arthroscopic
procedures require two or more portals. Sometimes people mistake
arthroscopic surgery for laser surgery. Although lasers have been used in
arthroscopic surgery, they currently offer little benefit compared to other
techniques. Actually, several complications have been associated with the use
of lasers in arthroscopic procedures. |
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Arthroscopic surgery has
many advantages over traditional open surgery. It allows for excellent
illumination and magnification of structures deep inside the joints. The
small incisions leave much smaller scars than traditional open surgical
procedures. Because a large open wound is avoided, patients typically have
less pain and can more often be treated as outpatients, allowing them to
return to their normal activities quicker. However, arthroscopic surgery does
not change the biology of the healing process. As a result, any repair still
takes the same amount of time to heal. Although the pain may be
less, restrictions on activity may not be different just because someone has
had arthroscopic surgery as opposed to traditional open surgery. Also, there
are some procedures that cannot be done arthroscopically and do require an
open approach. A surgeon who is skilled in arthroscopic surgery can best make
the determination of whether the patient is best-suited to an arthroscopic or
open surgical procedure. |
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Standard portals for knee arthroscopy: |
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Arthroscopic removal of a shoulder joint loose body: |
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