Arthroscopy

Diagnosing and treating joints

Arthroscopy allows the surgeon to select the appropriate surgical treatment especially for diseases of the hip joint, elbow joint, osteochondrosis dissecans (OCD) (juvenile bone disease). Arthroscopy is performed in an operating room under local or general anesthesia. It involves inserting a device called an arthroscope into the joint through small incisions around the joint. After its insertion, a saline solution is administered into the joint, which makes it easier to see inside the joint. All intra-articular structures are then evaluated: articular cartilage, synovial membrane, ligaments, muscles, and meniscus. This part of the arthroscopy procedure is sometimes called diagnostic arthroscopy. Miniature surgical instruments can then be inserted into the joint and treatment procedures can be applied to the identified pathology. When these procedures are performed, it is referred to as operative (therapeutic) arthroscopy. For the procedures, we use an arthroscopic pump that maintains constant pressure in the joint and a shaver.

Indications for performing the examination

• Injuries to the joints
• Instability of the joint
• Intra-articular fractures
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Degenerative changes
• Presence of foreign bodies in the joint
• Tumors within the joints