Invited commentary to: ‘Arthroscopy of total knee arthroplasties: Indications and technical problems’ (Eur Surg 2002;34:309–311)

Summary

Background: Postoperative complaints after total knee arthroplasty range from restriction in range of motion, recurrent swelling, and soft tissue impingement through to prosthesis failure with no obvious radiological abnormality. This study looks at the indications and technical problems of arthroscopy in the treatment of symptomatic total knee arthroplasty.

Methods: Fourteen arthroscopies were performed between 3 days and 10 years following total knee arthroplasty. Six of these cases presented significantly decreased range of motion, four had proximal medial joint line pain, two had pain with no obvious cause, one had a suspected patella incongruence with metal-back contact, and one case had a postoperative haemarthrosis.

Results: Arthroscopy revealed adhesions and intra-articular fibrous bands resulting in incongruence of the patellofemoral joint and decreased range of motion. Medial compartment pain was due to pseudomeniscal hypertrophic villous synovium. In one case, the pain was due to chronic infection and open synovectomy was undertaken. A fracture of the polyethylene inlet was found by arthroscopy in one case. The suspected patella malalignment with metal-back contact was confirmed by arthroscopy. Technical problems encompassed mirror images, the possibility of damaging the components by arthroscopic manipulation, and the variants of prosthesis.

Conclusions: Arthroscopy of total knee arthroplasties is a good minimally invasive method for the diagnosis and treatment of postoperative dysfunction, such as arthrofibrosis, soft tissue impingement, patella instability, infection, breakdown of implants and haemarthrosis.