What is Arthroscopic Surgery?
In years gone by, treatment of orthopedic injuries involved complicated surgical procedures, including large incisions, and a prolonged recovery period, usually preceded by a lengthy inpatient stay at a hospital. Fortunately, Arthroscopic Surgery has completely changed the way joint injuries are treated. With the aid of an arthroscope, your orthopedic surgeon can easily examine, diagnose, and treat joint problems which, in earlier years, may have been extremely difficult to even identify. The arthroscope is a small fiber-optic viewing instrument made up of a tiny lens, light source and video camera. The surgical instruments used in arthroscopic surgery are very small (only 3 or 4 mm in diameter), but appear much larger when viewed through an arthroscope. The surgeon inserts the arthroscope into the joint through a tiny incision (about 1/4 of an inch) called a portal. Other portals are used for the insertion of surgical instruments. With small incision sites and direct access to most ar
Arthroscopic surgery is one of the most common orthopaedic procedures performed today. Through the use of small instruments and cameras, an orthoapedic surgeon can visualize, diagnose, and treat problems within the joints. One or more small incisions are made around the joint to be viewed. The surgeon inserts an instrument called an arthoscope into the joint. The arthoscope contains a fiber optic light source and small television camera that allows the surgeon to view the joint on a television monitor and diagnose the problem, determine the extent of injury, and make any necessary repairs. Other instruments may be inserted to help view or repair the tissues inside the joint.
