Best Practice & Research Clinical Rheumatology
Volume 24, Issue 1 , Pages 47-50, February 2010

Arthroscopy as a treatment for knee osteoarthritis

  • David T. Felson, MD, MPH (Doctor of Medicine and Master of Public Health)

      Affiliations

    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. X200, 650 Albany Street, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston MA 02118, USA.

Boston University Clinical Epidemiology Research and Training Unit, Boston, MA, USA

Since surfaces become irregular and debris from cartilage and meniscus gets released into the joint cavity of osteoarthritic joints, washing away this debris and attendant crystals, smoothing rough surfaces and repairing tears might help patients with disease. Such interventions are accomplished during an arthroscopy, when a fibre-optic endoscope and surgical instruments are inserted into the knee. While initial uncontrolled case series suggested that arthroscopy alleviated pain in patients with osteoarthritis, large randomised trials have suggested that arthroscopy has a limited role as a treatment of osteoarthritis.

Keywords: knee osteoarthritis, arthroscopy

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PII: S1521-6942(09)00083-7

doi:10.1016/j.berh.2009.08.002

Best Practice & Research Clinical Rheumatology
Volume 24, Issue 1 , Pages 47-50, February 2010