What is an arthroscope?

  Arthroscopy is a minimally invasive optical instrument used by physicians to treat structures within joints and is a type of endoscopy. Since 1970, arthroscopy has been used for minimally invasive treatment of multiple parts of the body, including the knee, shoulder, ankle, elbow, wrist, jaw, hip, metacarpophalangeal joint, and even the thoracic and lumbar joints, with the knee joint being the most common. After entering the joint, the arthroscope can show the fine structure of the lesion on the monitor through the magnifying effect of the camera system, which can not only explore and diagnose the disease, but also make corresponding treatment for the lesion in time, with small surgical incision (about 5 mm small hole) and fast postoperative recovery (discharged from the hospital about 1 week after surgery).