Wrist arthroscopy
Wrist arthroscopy is a procedure that allows doctors to detect problems and make repairs to the wrist without making large incisions in the skin and tissue. This technique results in less pain for the patient and a faster recovery compared to open surgery.
What is wrist arthroscopy?
Wrist arthroscopy is a surgical technique that allows access to the wrist joint through minimal incisions using a specially sized optic.
Since the 1990s, the evolution of this technique has significantly advanced due to the development of new instruments specifically designed for it. This progress has transformed wrist arthroscopy from a primarily diagnostic tool into a method for therapeutic management of intra-articular injuries in both the wrist and hand, eliminating the need for open surgery.
What is a wrist arthroscopy procedure like?
Wrist arthroscopy surgery utilises a camera called an arthroscope, along with tiny surgical instruments, to examine and repair tissues inside or around the wrist.
What injuries are treated with wrist arthroscopy?
The most common pathology for which arthroscopic treatment is indicated involves lesions of the triangular fibrocartilage, a meniscus-like structure located in the ulnar region of the wrist. These lesions can cause pain and functional deficits. Arthroscopy enables us to identify and attempt to repair the lesion.
Synovectomies for inflammatory pathology, joint stiffness, and/or articular chondral lesions are conditions that can be treated partially or entirely with open surgery using arthroscopy.
Currently, the reduction of articular fractures of the radius, ulna, and even the scaphoid is monitored by arthroscopy to improve the final fracture outcome.
Endoscopic treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome and arthroscopic cleaning of the trapeziometacarpal joint for rhizarthrosis have become popular in recent years, driven by advancements in minimally invasive orthopaedic surgery.
What are the advantages of wrist arthroscopy?
Wrist arthroscopy enables surgeons to treat nearly any wrist injury. By using a camera approximately 2.5 millimetres in diameter, small incisions can be made to address wrist fractures, ligament injuries, osteoarthritis, and more…
What is recovery like after wrist arthroscopy?
Recovery from wrist arthroscopy typically takes between 3 and 6 weeks, depending on the treated pathology. In some cases, patients may require rehabilitation to ensure a favourable outcome.
The Knee Unit at Instituto Cugat conducts more than 300 knee arthroscopies a year.
