Knee Arthroscopy: Indications for Surgery

Arthroscopy of the knee is a very commonly performed operation for a variety of conditions of the knee. It can be used to trim or repair a torn cartilage, to identify ligament damage, to treat early arthritis (washing out debris, smoothing early joint surface damage or by scraping the bone under the joint to encourage small areas of joint damage to repair [microfracture],) to remove scar tissue, to remove loose bodies in the knee and/or to take biopsies (samples of tissue from inside the knee for diagnostic purposes).

Prior to booking the operation you would have an outpatient consultation and examination with either an X-ray or MRI scan depending upon your age and the clinical findings. Following this the decision may be made to proceed to arthroscopy.

Booking for Surgery

The date for surgery will be organised done via Sue Fowler my PA, whose number is below. I can confirm that the OPCS code for knee arthroscopy is usually W8500 and that I and my anaesthetists, (usually Dr Paix and Dr Jones) stick within the scale of maxima of your insurance company.

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Your Hospital stay

You typically will be admitted on the day of the surgery and I will come and see you and make sure you are happy with the procedure, take your informed consent and mark the side. The anaesthetist will also see you before theatre and they will answer any queries regarding the anaesthetic etc.

You will also see my colleague Matt Smith, who will be assisting with the procedure.  I am fortunate to work with Matt for the past 5 years and very proud that he was the first Surgical Assistant (NAASP) to be recognised as an Associate Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England.

NAASP

Arthroscopy is usually performed as a day case, you would be anaesthetised for somewhere between 15 and 30 minutes depending upon the complexity of the procedure. Two or three small holes are made in the side of the knee to accommodate for a telescope to look inside, instruments to do any work and a drain to remove any debris. The wound would usually be closed with glue and a thick bandage applied.

if you have any further questions do not hesitate to contact us

Alternatively, book through Doctify:

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