What Is Arthroscopic Surgery

An arthroscope is a rod-like optical instrument with a diameter of about 5mm to observe the internal structure of joints. It is an endoscope used by doctors to diagnose and treat joint diseases. Introduced in the 1970s, the arthroscope uses a lens at the end of a thin tube, which is inserted into the joint, and the structure of the joint is displayed on a monitor. Therefore, the structure inside the joint can be observed directly. Arthroscopic surgery involves cutting holes in the skin the size of chopsticks or smaller (5 to 10 millimeters), inserting cameras and surgical instruments into the joints, and operating under the supervision of a monitor by a doctor to diagnose and treat various joint diseases. Currently, the joints that can be treated include the knee, shoulder, ankle, elbow, wrist, jaw, hip, metacarpophalangeal, and even the thoracic and lumbar joints. Compared with arthrotomy, arthroscopic surgery has the following advantages: (1) the incision is small and not easy to infect, and the skin scar is minimal. (2) The surgical trauma is small, the operation is safe, can be repeated operation, does not affect the joint after other operations. (3) Single arthroscopy can simultaneously treat a variety of diseases, such as joint debridement, synoviectomy, etc., in knee surgery. (4) Wide indication, it is applicable to a variety of intraarticular lesions. Few contraindications, such as poor physical conditions can not perform routine surgery, but not necessarily contraindicated arthroscopic surgery. Arthroscopic surgery can treat a variety of intraarticular inflammation, such as osteoarthritis synovitis, traumatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, tuberculous arthritis, suppurative arthritis, exfoliating osteochondromatosis, patelomalacia, osteophyte (bone spurs), free body, synovial crescent-wall, joint disorders, meniscus injury, anterior and posterior cruciate ligament rupture, etc. Capsular adhesion, various intraarticular fractures, various joint adhesion and joint mobility restriction, all kinds of unexplained arthralgia.