Posted: 06/14/05 - 02:00 Post subject: Arthroscopic surgery
Few days ago my son suffered a knee injury while playing basketball and was rushed into hospital. When he was examined, doctor told us that he has to have a knee surgery. He used the term “arthroscopic” surgery. I am worried about my son so I would appreciate if someone could explain to me this arthroscopic procedure. What will they do with his knee?
Arthroscopic surgery is a common orthopedic procedure that is used to diagnose and treat problems in joints. The word "arthroscopy” comes from two Greek words- “arthro”(joint), and “scope”(look). Basically, Arthroscopic surgery means to take a look inside a joint but it is much more than that. Arthroscopic surgery is usually performed on knee and shoulder joints because they are large enough to manipulate the instruments around. General, spinal or a local anesthetic is given during the arthroscopy depending on the joint and suspected problem. A knee arthroscopy is performed with a camera inserted into the joint through a small incision, about one centimeter. The camera is attached to a fiberoptic light source and shows a picture on a television monitor of the inside of the joint. The surgeon uses water under pressure to "inflate" the knee and to remove any debris. Arthroscopy has reduced the need to surgically open the knee joint and this has resulted in less pain and stiffness, decreased the possibility for complications and length of hospitalization. The recovery time after arthroscopy is much faster than after other surgical procedure.
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