What happens in arthroscopy

Recently reigning super star of Bollywood Shah Rukh Khan underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair his torn shoulder ligaments. Keep reading to know everything you wanted or didn’t to know about this surgical process. We’re telling you anyway!

Initially, arthroscopy was simply a diagnostic tool for planning standard open surgery. With development of better instrumentation and surgical techniques, many conditions can be treated arthroscopically.

In this surgical procedure orthopaedic surgeons visualise, diagnose, and treat problems inside a joint. The word arthroscopy comes from two Greek words, “arthro” (joint) and “skopein” (to look). The term literally means “to look within the joint.”

In an arthroscopic examination, an orthopaedic surgeon makes a small incision in the patient’s skin and then inserts pencil-sized instruments that contain a small lens and lighting system to magnify and illuminate the structures inside the joint. Light is transmitted through fiber optics to the end of the arthroscope that is inserted into the joint.

By attaching the arthroscope to a miniature television camera, the surgeon is able to see the interior of the joint through this very small incision rather than a large incision needed for surgery.

The television camera attached to the arthroscope displays the image of the joint on a television screen, allowing the surgeon to look, for example, throughout the knee. This lets the surgeon see the cartilage, ligaments, and under the kneecap. The surgeon can determine the amount or type of injury and then repair or correct the problem, if it is necessary.

Benefits -

Arthroscopic surgery, although much easier in terms of recovery than “open” surgery, still requires the use of anesthetics and the special equipment in a hospital operating room or outpatient surgical suite. You will be given a general, spinal, or a local anesthetic, depending on the joint or suspected problem.

The amount of surgery required and recovery time will depend on the complexity of your problem, but recovery is faster in arthroscopic surgeries.

Occasionally, the surgeon might discover that the injury or disease cannot be treated adequately with arthroscopy alone. The extensive “open” surgery may be performed under same anaesthesia or at a later date after having discussed the findings with the patient.

Complications

Although uncommon, complications do occur occasionally during or following arthroscopy. Infection, phlebitis (blood clots of a vein), excessive swelling or bleeding, damage to blood vessels or nerves, and instrument breakage are the complications, but occur in far less than 1 percent of all arthroscopic procedures.

Reviewed by Dr. Rajesh Bawari, Sr Consultant, Orthopaedic, Max Hospital

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