Knee Arthroscopy

Arthroscopic surgery on the knee involves inserting a small camera into the knee joint through a small incision.

The camera is attached to a video monitor so I can see inside the knee.

Why Arthroscopy? Meniscus Tear ACL/PCL injury Synovitis Chondral flap OCD lesion Kneecap release Loose bodies PVNS

Salt water (saline) is put into the knee joint to expand the joint which helps visualisation of the joint and control bleeding.

After looking around the entire knee for problem areas additional small surgical incisions are made to insert other instruments.

Commonly used instruments include:

• A blunt hook to pull on various tissues
• A shaver to remove damaged or unwanted soft tissues
• Special scissors to remove unwanted pathology
• Special sutures

NORMAL

MENISCAL TEAR

OCD LESION

EARLY ARTHRITIS

Risks of Knee Arthroscopy

The risks for any anesthesia are:

• Allergic reactions to medications
• Risks of General Anaesthetic - patient specific

Specific risks of knee arthroscopy include:

• Bleeding into the joint (haemarthrosis) - 1 in 100
• Infection - 1 in 1000
• Damage to the cartilage or meniscus
• Failure of the surgery to relieve symptoms
• Knee stiffness
• Scaring of the skin or lump under the wound
• Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) - 1 in 750
• Pulmonary embolus (PE) - risk 1 in 3000
• Severe pain (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome) - rare

Outlook (Prognosis)

In general the use of arthroscopy compared to open surgery has:

• Decreased length (if any) of hospital stay
• Faster recovery time
• Fewer complications
• Less pain and stiffness

The expectations vary depending on the cause for the surgery.

More Reading

http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00299

  Knee Arthroscopy

You will need to have the FREE Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your system to view this document. Download the Reader by clicking on the Acrobat icon below.