Use of Arthroscopy in Orthopedics

What are the most common arthroscopic surgeries performed in orthopedics? According to the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, the knee and shoulder are by far the most common joints that require arthroscopic surgery, although the hip is increasingly becoming another location for surgery. More than 4 million knee and 1.6 million shoulder procedures are performed worldwide each year. Some of the most common procedures that orthopedic surgeons are familiar with include meniscal repair, ligament reconstruction, repair of cartilage lesions, and rotator cuff repair. Hip arthroscopy has increased in use in the past several years but has not yet made the transition into everyday practice. The most common procedures for hip arthroscopy are for the treatment of femoroacetabular impingement, labral tears, or synovial diseases such as chondromatosis. Other less common arthroscopic procedures included those done in the wrist, elbow, and ankle. Common procedures for the elbow include releases and lysis of adhesions for arthrofibrosis, whereas the ankle is a more common location for the treatment of cartilage defects through a multitude of techniques including microfracture or autologous chondrocyte implantation. The wrist is anther joint that is seeing increased treatment via arthroscopy, with the more common procedures used for ganglion cysts, ligamentous repair, or treatment of damage to the triangular fibrocartilage complex.