Outcomes of knee arthroscopy under local anaesthesia

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the outcome of knee arthroscopy performed under local anaesthesia. Methods In a retrospective study between 1999 and 2004, the medical charts, theatre reports and radiological images of 225 patients were reviewed. Function was assessed from SF-36, WOMAC, Tegner and Lysholm scores. Patients were interviewed by telephone or by the Internet. Results Of the 115 patients who completed the study, 88 (77%) were men and 27 (23%) were women, with a mean age of 48 (±11.5) years. The mean follow-up was 18 months (range, 3-60). The left knee was operated on in 62 (54%) cases and the right knee in 53 (46%) cases. Both patient and surgeon satisfaction was >90%, especially in the case of normal healthy patients and patients with mild systemic disease, minimal synovitis, a good response to local anaesthesia, minimal ipsilateral hip osteoarthritis and no recent partial collateral ligament injury. Conclusion Arthroscopy under local anaesthesia is an effective, safe method for treating knee disease. Our results are comparable to those in the current literature. © 2013 Taibah University. Production and hosting by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.