Arthroscopy

It has found widespread use in the treatment of diseases affecting the shoulder, ankle, wrist, elbow, and hip joint, most commonly the knee joint.

Arthroscopy is performed under anesthesia and in operating room conditions. Simple diagnostic procedures can be performed under local anesthesia, but regional or general anesthesia is used for therapeutic arthroscopies. To provide visualization, the joint is inflated using a fluid, and this fluid is drained at the end of the procedure. During surgery, structures inside the joint are magnified 4-6 times to provide imaging, thus allowing for detailed diagnosis. Since the camera can visualize areas that are difficult to reach during open surgery, a complete diagnostic procedure can be performed. After diagnostic examination is completed, problems detected inside the joint can be treated using mechanical, motorized, or thermal energy (radiofrequency or laser) instruments placed through small incisions.

The duration of hospital stay following arthroscopic procedures varies depending on the complexity of the procedure performed. While discharge on the same day is possible following some procedures, in some cases several days of hospitalization may be required.

Knee Joint :: Repair or removal of meniscus tears, repair of anterior and posterior cruciate ligament tears, correction of articular cartilage problems, intra-articular biopsies, removal of cysts and benign tumors, removal of synovial tissue lining the joint in rheumatic diseases, treatment of fractures involving the joint, treatment of recurrent patellar dislocations, opening of movement restrictions developing after trauma or surgery, cartilage-bone tissue transfers can be performed with arthroscopic or arthroscopy-assisted open methods.

Cartilage separations, soft tissue pinching following sprains, cleaning of bone projections in athlete's ankle, intra-articular biopsies and removal of synovial membrane, ankle arthrodesis (making a damaged joint immobile and painless), certain fractures involving the joint can be treated with arthroscopic assistance. Some procedures targeting tendons around the ankle can also be performed endoscopically.

Treatment of recurrent shoulder dislocations, repair of shoulder muscle pinching and tears, opening of movement restrictions in frozen shoulder, removal of free bodies, treatment of intra-articular cartilage and biceps tendon problems, cleaning of synovial tissues can be performed arthroscopically.

During open surgery, healthy tissues must be cut to access the joint. In contrast, arthroscopic procedure is performed through very small incisions in a way that does not damage healthy tissues, so postoperative pain is much less compared to open surgery. The risk of infection in the joint and development of movement restrictions is much lower. Hospital stay, return to daily activities, and return to sports take much less time. Rehabilitation program can be started immediately after surgery.

Like all surgical procedures, arthroscopic surgery can have complications. Swelling requiring needle drainage in the joint and hemarthrosis (blood accumulation), infection, deep vein thrombosis (blood clot formation in deep vessels), wound healing problems, blood vessel and nerve injuries, fracture of instruments used inside the joint, conversion to open surgery due to technical reasons are complications that may occur. However, the risk of these complications occurring is very low and ranges between 0.1% and 4%. The anesthesia method to be applied may also have its own specific complications.