What is Arthroscopy?
It is a surgical procedure in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases involving the joint, by displaying the inside of the joint with an optical instrument and reflecting it on the screen.
Situations where the arthroscopy method is applied;-
In the treatment of meniscus tears-
In the removal of early joint calcifications-
In the removal of free bone and cartilage fragments in the joint-
Injury of anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments-
In problems of the kneecap bone-
In the treatment of articular cartilage damage-
In the treatment of intra-articular fractures-
Meniscus tears and cartilage lesions are often treated with the arthroscopic method, which is mostly applied to the knee joint.
What is the meniscus and how is it treated?
The meniscus are crescent-shaped cushions in the cartilage structure between the articular surfaces of the thigh and tibia bones in the knee. With the effect of forces in various directions, the meniscus can be torn. In order to prevent progressive damage in the knee, the torn areas of the meniscus are removed and cleaned. The tears in the outer parts of the meniscus are treated by suturing. The treatment with arthroscopic method results in a very short time, reducing the hospital stay, and the patient is discharged the same day or the next day. The patient returns to his daily activities quickly. How is arthroscopy surgery performed? Arthroscopic surgeries are also called closed surgeries. With arthroscopy, there is a more complete examination opportunity as it can be visualized in areas that cannot be reached during open surgery. Today, arthroscopy is mostly applied in the knee joint. Arthroscopy surgery can be performed only by numbing the leg to be arthroscopy (local), or by numbing the lower part of the waist (spinal anesthesia) or general anesthesia with the patient completely. It can also be done by anesthetizing. The duration of the operation is between 30-60 minutes depending on the severity of the problems in the patient's knee. In order to observe the inside of the joint, 2-3 0.5 cm incisions are made by entering the optic system of the arthroscopy into the joint. What are the Advantages of Arthroscopy Surgery? - Surgery is performed with small incisions. No stitches are used for surgery. - The hospitalization time of the patient is very short. - The possibility of development of limitation of movement in the joints after the surgery is less. - The patient's return to work time is very short compared to other surgeries. While it takes 1-2 months for the patient to return to work after a meniscus tear surgery performed with the classical method, the patient can return to work within 1 week when it is performed with the arthroscopic method. - Since the incision site is very small, there is no problem in wound healing, the risk of inflammation after surgery is very low