What is arthroscopy?
Arthroscopy is a surgical procedure that orthopaedic surgeons use to visualize, diagnose and treat problems inside a joint. In an arthroscopic examination, the doctor makes a small incision and inserts pencil-sized instruments that contain a small lens and lighting system to magnify and illuminate the structures inside the joint. Light is transmitted through fiber optics to the end of the arthroscope. By attaching the arthroscope to a miniature camera, your surgeon is able to see the interior of the joint through this very small incision rather than the large incision needed for conventional “open” surgery. The television camera attached to the arthroscope displays the image of the joint on a television screen, allowing your surgeon to look, for example, throughout the shoulder ° at cartilage and ligaments. The doctor can determine the amount and type of injury, and usually repair or correct the problem, if it is necessary.
Arthroscopy is a surgical procedure orthopaedic surgeons use to visualize, diagnose and treat problems inside a joint. Arthroscopic surgery took off in the 1980s as advances in camera and fiber optic technology made it possible to see vivid, high definition video of the inside of joints. It was initially used as a diagnostic tool, to look into a joint so that a formal, open surgery could be performed. As equipment and surgical technique have continued to advance over the last 30 years, arthroscopy has expanded from a diagnostic tool used exclusively in knees, to a technique that can allow very complex surgeries in knees, shoulders, hips, wrists, ankles, and elbows. Among the common procedures that are now performed arthroscopically are ligament reconstruction (anterior cruciate ligament), cartilage and lose body removal, and rotator cuff tendon repair.
