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The Casuccio-Santacroce-Banfo knee arthroscope: an avant-garde Italian tale in the history of arthroscopy

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Abstract

Purpose

This brief historical note describes an arthroscopic instrument presented in Italy in 1950, and still preserved to this day at the library of the Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute in Bologna, Italy.

Material and methods

A research on Casuccio, Santacroce, and Banfo prolific scientific collaboration was performed.

Results

The arthroscopic instrument was designed and utilized at the Orthopedic Clinic of the University of Bari, directed by Professor Casuccio, in collaboration with his assistant, Antonio Santacroce, and Giorgio Banfo, an orthopedist, entrepreneur, and owner of a modern establishment dedicated to the production of orthopaedic products and medical instruments.

Conclusion

Much like America and Japan, 1950s Italy offered avant-garde arthroscopic instruments, which resulted from a masterful collaboration of research and development.

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Data availability

Not applicable (historical paper).

References

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Ezio Liporesi and Catherine A. Dewar for the support received.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1st Orthopaedics and Traumatologic Clinic, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Via Pupilli 1, 40136, Bologna, Italy

    Antonio Mazzotti, Alberto Di Martino, Giuseppe Geraci & Cesare Faldini

  2. Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences (DIBINEM), Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy

    Alberto Di Martino & Cesare Faldini

  3. Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University (SKMC), Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Alberto Di Martino

  4. Scientific Library, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Via Pupilli 1, 40136, Bologna, Italy

    Patrizia Tomba & Anna Viganò

Authors
  1. Antonio Mazzotti
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  2. Alberto Di Martino
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  3. Patrizia Tomba
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  4. Anna Viganò
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  5. Giuseppe Geraci
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  6. Cesare Faldini
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Contributions

AM: conceived the presented idea; have made substantial contributions to study conception and design, acquisition of data, data analysis and interpretation; drafted the manuscript; and revised it critically. ADM: conceived the presented idea; coordinated and supervised manuscript preparation. PT: provided original documentation, and helped shape the research, analysis, and manuscript. AV: provided original documentation and critical feedback. GG: designed figures and contributed to the design and implementation of the research. CF: revised the manuscript critically and gave final approval of the version to be published. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Antonio Mazzotti.

Ethics declarations

Ethics approval

All procedures were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent

Not applicable (historical paper).

Consent to participate

Not applicable (historical paper).

Consent for publication

Not applicable (historical paper).

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

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Mazzotti, A., Di Martino, A., Tomba, P. et al. The Casuccio-Santacroce-Banfo knee arthroscope: an avant-garde Italian tale in the history of arthroscopy. International Orthopaedics (SICOT) 45, 3277–3282 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00264-021-05118-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00264-021-05118-x

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