Knee Arthroscopy

How is Arthroscopy Done?

In arthroscopy surgery, at least 2 small incisions are made in the joint where arthroscopic surgery will be performed under general or local anesthesia, the joint is entered, the joint is visualized with a fiber optic light source and a micro camera, and joint degenerations are observed and treated.

In arthroscopic surgeries, more than one part of the joint can be intervened.

If there is discomfort in more than one place, naturally the number of small incisions to be made increases. Since the treatments to be performed vary, the treatment duration varies between 30 and 120 minutes.

Thanks to arthroscopy, photographs and video images can be taken from inside the joint during treatment.

In arthroscopic surgeries, different arthroscopes can be preferred according to the joint. There are arthroscope options with different diameters of 4 mm for large joints (knee, hip, shoulder) and 1.9 – 2.7 mm for small joints (ankle, elbow, wrist).

Treatments Performed on the Knee Joint with Arthroscopy

Although arthroscopy is most preferred in the knee joint, it is also widely preferred in the treatment of disorders in the shoulder joint, hip joint, ankle, elbow and wrist.

Knee Arthroscopy: The use of arthroscopy in knee joint treatments

• Detailed examination of the inside of the knee joint
• Removal of damaged sections for meniscus, cadaver or artificial meniscus reinforcement, suturing of meniscus tears
• Repair of anterior and posterior cruciate ligament tears,
• Articular cartilage repairs and Cartilage transplantation
• Joint mouse (loose objects moving around the joint)
• Treatment of joint membrane inflammations and joint membrane removals
• Beginning level calcifications
• Treatment of fractures in the knee joint
• Treatment of knee cap slips
• Relief of joint inflammations
• Intra-articular benign tumor and cyst removal
• Relieving joint restrictions

Advantages of knee treatments with arthroscopy

• Arthroscopy provides detailed examination for unidentified disorders in the knee joint.
• Arthroscopy is a closed surgery and is an extremely comfortable and satisfactory surgery in terms of patient comfort in knee joint treatments.
• In arthroscopy surgery, partial incisions are made in the knee joint. Post-operative wounds and stitches are much smaller and heal much faster than in open surgeries.
• The natural structure of the knee joint is preserved as much as possible and unnecessary tissue damage is not created.
• The most important advantage is that it is possible to reach every part of the knee joint and provide complete treatment.
• Compared to open surgeries, the number of days spent in the hospital is less; the average stay in the hospital is 1 day.
• Compared to open surgeries, the pain and suffering felt after surgery is less.
• Since there are very few open wounds, physical therapy and rehabilitation can be started much earlier.
• The risk of postoperative infection is much lower than open surgery.

Knee Treatments with Arthroscopic Surgery

Arthroscopic Meniscus Treatment
Meniscus is a knee joint tissue that acts as a cushion between the cartilage tissues that stabilize the knee joint. When damaged, the cartilage structure that protects the knee joint bones is damaged, causing joint health to deteriorate. Meniscus tissue is of great importance for a healthy knee joint. Although meniscus injuries usually occur in people who participate in sports that strain the knee, they can also occur in activities such as simple sprains and falls.

Arthroscopic (closed) meniscus treatment is performed in grade II and larger tears and degenerations. With the arthroscopy method, the torn meniscus tissue is usually stitched, but if the damaged tissue is excessive, the damaged part is removed. Since the removed tissue will create a gap in the knee joint, it is important to preserve the integrity of the knee joint by replacing it with artificial or cadaver meniscus tissue. Stitching meniscus tears with arthroscopy alone may not provide complete healing.
Meniscus removal was generally performed in root tears in the outer meniscus. Nowadays, there are mini suture systems that do not require removal, and we do not remove parts of the meniscus tissue as much as possible.

After arthroscopic knee meniscus treatment, faster tissue healing can be achieved by supporting the knee joint with cellular treatments (PRP, bone marrow stem cells, fat stem cells).

Arthroscopic Cruciate Ligament Treatment

In cases of tears, damage or complete ruptures in the anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments, which ensure that the knee joint bones remain together and the leg bone under the knee does not separate from the joint, the damaged ligaments are repaired by arthroscopy. If the general structure of the ruptured cruciate ligaments is not damaged, they are stitched with arthroscopy. If the ligaments become unusable, your treatment can be performed by making a cruciate ligament with tendons taken from the other leg.

When a cruciate ligament rupture occurs for the first time, the patient’s existing ligament can usually be sutured, but in case of recurrent ruptures, it may be necessary to harvest a tendon from the other leg, use an artificial ligament or a cadaver cruciate ligament.

If the patient does not prefer to have the tendon removed from his or her healthy leg, he or she may prefer to have the treatment performed with cadaver cruciate or artificial cruciate ligaments.

After arthroscopic knee cruciate ligament treatment, faster tissue healing can be achieved by supporting the knee joint with cellular treatments (PRP, bone marrow stem cells, fat stem cells).

Arthroscopic Knee Cartilage Treatment

All joints contain cartilage tissue, and it is a hard and protective tissue that covers the parts of the joint bones facing each other. There is no blood supply or nerve endings in the structure of cartilage, so the joint fluid nourishes the cartilage. It is a tissue that is difficult to regenerate due to its structure. When cartilage tissue is damaged, symptoms generally include pain, sticking, restriction in knee movements, locking in the knee, increase in knee joint space, and insecurity in the knee joint. Cartilage damage caused by obvious causes of cartilage damage such as aging, overuse of the joint (competitive sports, marathon runners, etc.), falls, impacts, sprains and trauma are treated with arthroscopy.
Damages to the cartilage tissue that protects the knee joint bones can be repaired to a large extent by arthroscopy.