About knee arthroscopy
Arthroscopy is used to investigate what is causing your knee problems, and to treat a variety of knee conditions. Doctors use arthroscopy to diagnose problems such as arthritis and inflammation, and also use it to repair damaged tissue and cartilage. It's also used to take small tissue samples (biopsies), which can help with diagnosing things like infections.

Knee arthroscopy is performed through small cuts in your skin, using a special telescope (arthroscope) attached to a video camera. Compared with open surgery, arthroscopy is less painful, carries less risk of infection, and has a faster recovery time.

What are the alternatives?
Not everyone who has a knee problem needs to have an arthroscopy. In many people knee disorders can be diagnosed using non-surgical methods such as an MRI scan. An MRI scan uses magnets and radiowaves to produce images of the inside of your body. Some problems can be treated using physiotherapy and medication. Your surgeon can explain the benefits and risks of the procedure to you.
Preparing for your operation

Your surgeon will explain how to prepare for your operation. For example if you smoke you will be asked to stop, as smoking increases your risk of getting a wound infection and slows your recovery.

The operation is usually done as a day case under general anaesthesia. This means you will be asleep during the procedure. Alternatively you may prefer to have the surgery under local or regional anaesthesia. This completely blocks feeling from the knee area and you will stay awake during the operation. You may be offered a sedative with a local or regional anaesthetic to help you relax during the operation.

Your surgeon will advise which type of anaesthesia is most suitable for you.

If you're having general anaesthesia, you will be asked to follow fasting instructions. Typically you must not eat or drink for about six hours beforehand. However, some anaesthetists allow occasional sips of water until two hours before a general anaesthetic.

At the hospital your nurse will explain how you will be cared for during your stay. Your nurse may check your heart rate and blood pressure, and test your urine.

Your surgeon will usually ask you to sign a consent form. This confirms that you understand the risks, benefits and possible alternatives to the procedure and have given your permission for it to go ahead.

You may be asked to wear a compression stocking on the unaffected leg to help prevent blood clots forming in the veins in your legs. If you're at high risk of a blood clot you may need to have an injection of an anticlotting medicine called heparin as well as, or instead of, stockings.
About the operation

An arthroscopy can take from 30 minutes to over an hour, depending on how much work your surgeon needs to do inside your knee joint. Once the anaesthetic has taken effect, your surgeon will make small cuts in the skin around your knee joint. A sterile fluid is pumped into your joint to help produce a clearer picture and then the arthroscope is inserted.

Your surgeon will examine your knee joint by looking at images sent by the arthroscope to a monitor. If necessary, other instruments can be inserted to repair any damage or remove material that interferes with movement or causes pain in your knee.

Afterwards, the fluid is drained out and the cuts are closed with stitches or adhesive strips. Then a dressing and a bandage is wrapped around the knee.

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