Arthroscopic meniscus operations

A meniscus tear has been diagnosed on the basis of your description of your knee problems and clinical examinations i.e. performing certain provocative manual tests. The medial and lateral menisci are sickle-shaped discs of cartilage between the thigh and shin bones, which serve to absorb shock and stabilise the knee joint. In the case of injury, such as rotation during sport or due to joint degeneration in advanced age, a meniscus may tear and parts of it become deposited in the joint-space. The results is pain on moving and when putting weight on the knee, as well as mechanical damage to the joint cartilage.

The aim of the arthroscopic meniscus operation is to remove all torn particles while preserving undamaged meniscus tissue. Only those parts are removed that inhibit the joint function, damage the joint surfaces or cause pain and inflammation. This is done using miniature instruments that have been especially developed for arthroscopic orthopaedics and surgical cutting instruments with a vacuum feature.  In some cases it is possible to arthroscopically suture the meniscus, for example when the tear is very close to the capsule. Removal of the meniscus is then no longer necessary.

Welcome side-effects of arthroscopic orthopaedics are the almost complete absence of pain following the operation, the lack of large scars and the possibility of carrying out ambulatory operations.

As mentioned above, the main advantage of the arthroscopic technique over ‘cutting operations’ is that all intact parts of the meniscus can be left untouched.