What is arthroscopic wrist surgery? How should it be treated?

  Traditional wrist surgery requires a large incision in the wrist, and the soft tissues and joint capsule around the joint are incised before the joint can be observed and treated. The disadvantages of traditional incision surgery include large incisions, postoperative pain and swelling, long hospital stays, and large postoperative skin scars that can significantly affect the aesthetic appearance. Because of the many side effects, many patients are afraid of surgical treatment.  Wrist arthroscopy is a new technology for the diagnosis and minimally invasive treatment of wrist injuries and disorders. This technology allows for the proper evaluation and treatment of intra-articular lesions by placing a mini HD camera through a small minimally invasive opening in the wrist, and the repair of damaged structures within the joint by the minimally invasive opening, thus avoiding unnecessary tissue damage to the patient’s periarticular tissues caused by conventional incisional surgery. Furthermore, the advantages of wrist arthroscopy include small and aesthetically pleasing incisions, less postoperative site pain, shorter hospital stays and postoperative immobilization; and maximum restoration of joint function due to minimal adhesions of the joint capsule and ligaments.  At present, the more commonly performed wrist arthroscopic surgery mainly includes: 1. Wrist joint ligament injury, diagnosis and treatment of triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) injury Ligament injury in the wrist joint, especially triangular fibrocartilage complex injury, can occur when the hand is propped up on the ground during a fall. Larger rotational or distraction violence can also cause injury. Wrist arthroscopy is one of the earliest and most frequently performed wrist arthroscopic procedures for the diagnosis, debridement, and ligament repair of various ligaments in the wrist joint.  2. Minimally invasive treatment of navicular fractures For acute navicular fractures, arthroscopy is valuable in determining the type of fracture, assessing fracture stability, improving the quality of fracture repositioning, and avoiding wear and tear caused by screws penetrating the bone. The role of wrist arthroscopy is particularly important when performing minimally invasive percutaneous fixation of fractures with displacement.  For old navicular fractures that do not heal or have bone nonunion, minimally invasive internal fixation with bone grafting can be performed arthroscopically.  3. Minimally invasive treatment of distal radius fractures Intra-articular fractures of the distal radius with displaced articular surfaces or fissures are typical indications for surgical treatment and are suitable for minimally invasive treatment using wrist arthroscopy techniques. This type of injury is often combined with soft tissue injuries such as intra-articular ligaments and cartilage that cannot be detected by X-ray or CT film.  4.Minimally invasive treatment of wrist fracture and dislocation and wrist instability Includes minimally invasive treatment of acute trauma to the wrist joint such as dislocation of the lunar bone and perilunar dislocation via the navicular bone, and minimally invasive treatment of chronic instability of the wrist joint.  5.Tendon sheath cyst excision of wrist joint The most commonly performed is minimally invasive excision of tendon sheath cyst of dorsal or palmar side of wrist under wrist arthroscopy.  6.Staging, debridement and treatment of lunar bone ischemic necrosis.  7.Rheumatoid arthritis of wrist joint, debridement of osteoarthritis, synovectomy, partial fusion of wrist bone and joint.