Arthroscopy was first used in 1918 to view joints. There was no specially designed and manufactured arthroscope at that time; a cystoscope was used. The patient examined was a patient with tuberculosis of the knee. Today’s arthroscopes are sophisticated and very well made, with very small lenses attached to optical fibers. The arthroscope is a very slim endoscope, measuring only 1.9 to 4.0 mm in diameter. Other auxiliary equipment includes light sources, optical fibers, recording and monitoring systems, and specialized surgical instruments. A small incision through the skin allows the arthroscope to be inserted into the joint and the images detected are magnified and displayed on a monitor. This allows the surgeon to see more clearly the lesions in the patient’s joint without cutting into the joint. At the same time, the doctor can use arthroscopic special surgical instruments to remove the tissue from the lesion for cytopathological examination, thus making a clear diagnosis; he can also remove (e.g., a hyperplastic synovium) or repair (e.g., a ruptured meniscus) the lesion in the joint, thus achieving a good treatment effect. With the advancement of science and technology, arthroscopic equipment has developed rapidly. The advent of laser operating systems has made arthroscopy and surgery less invasive and the types of diseases that can be treated more varied. Ren Yizhong, Department of Joint and Sports Medicine Surgery, Second Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University The application of arthroscopy has greatly improved the accuracy rate of intra-articular injuries and diseases, reaching over 98%. Take knee arthroscopy as an example, it can examine meniscus, cruciate ligament, patella, femur inner and outer condyles, tibial joint surface, and synovial lesions. Some diseases such as “intra-articular disorder of the knee”, “rheumatoid synovitis” and “pigmented villous nodular synovitis” were difficult to diagnose in the past, but now with the use of arthroscopy and With the use of arthroscopy and biopsy, diagnosis is no longer difficult.
What diseases require arthroscopy?
With the progress of science and technology and the increasing demand for quality of life, minimally invasive orthopedic surgery has become an important direction in the development of medicine today and a trend in the future development of orthopedic technology. In terms of joints, modern minimally invasive orthopaedic techniques represented by arthroscopy can basically replace traditional arthrocentesis and become a specialized branch of orthopaedics. The advantages of arthroscopic surgery: (1) Accurate diagnosis: arthroscopy can see almost all parts of the joint, which is more comprehensive than cutting open the joint; the image is magnified, which is more accurate than cutting open the joint. (2) Less trauma, less bleeding, less pain, less complications, the wound is only 6 mm, quick recovery after surgery, short hospital stay, 5-6 days to remove the stitches and discharge from the hospital. It is minimally invasive in the true sense. (3) The short hospitalization time solves the difficulties of many young and middle-aged patients who are busy at work and have no time for treatment.
Arthroscopic indications: The arthroscopic system has a wide range of application, and arthroscopic surgery can be done on large joints such as hip, knee, ankle, shoulder, elbow, wrist, and even finger joints. It can be used for both diagnosis and treatment; it can treat both chronic diseases such as arthritis and acute trauma such as fractures; it can also be used for extra-articular procedures, such as taking internal fixation. * Knee joint: osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, synovitis, meniscal injury, cruciate ligament injury, articular cartilage injury, traumatic osteoarthritis, knee free body, bin dislocation, joint adhesion, acute joint sprain, intra-articular infection * Hip joint: femoral head necrosis, hip osteoarthritis, hip free body, tumor cytology * Ankle joint: ankle fracture, traumatic arthritis, synovitis, ankle free body * Shoulder joint: rotator cuff tear, shoulder impingement syndrome, shoulder periarthritis, calcific supraspinatus tendonitis * Wrist joint: median nerve impingement syndrome, carpal cartilage injury * Elbow joint: elbow free body, elbow joint adhesion, radial tuberosity osteoarthritis * Other: N-fossa cyst, gluteus contracture, intra-articular fracture internal fixation and plate removal, etc.