Arthroscopic shoulder surgery is a minimally invasive surgical technique that allows visualization of the inside of the shoulder by inserting a lens attached to a special camera into the joint. Thanks to this, intra-articular images can be transmitted to a monitor and thus visualize, diagnose and treat intra-articular lesions of the shoulder.
Lesions that can be treated with arthroscopy
At present, the indications for arthroscopic surgery in general are very broad and applicable to most upper limb (shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand) and lower limb (hip, knee, ankle and foot) joints.
The continuous appearance of new arthroscopic instruments and new surgical techniques is allowing the great majority of intra-articular pathologies and injuries of cartilage, meniscus, ligaments, tendons, etc. to be solved by arthroscopic surgery. Therefore, its main indication at present is therapeutic, being for us the “gold standard” for most intra-articular procedures.
Another indication is to diagnose pathologies that, with the examination of the patient and the complementary tests, have not allowed us to reach a definitive diagnosis. Arthroscopy as a diagnostic method has the great advantage of allowing us to see directly the joint and its structures and their behavior dynamically, a fact that no diagnostic test allows.
It also allows biopsy in processes that require analysis or pathological anatomy, through a minimally invasive approach.
Advantages of arthroscopic surgery over open or conventional surgery
Arthroscopic surgery in general, and shoulder surgery in particular, has many advantages over open or conventional surgery. Firstly, it is a minimally invasive surgery, allowing, through small incisions, diagnosis and treatment of shoulder injuries, this means less aggressiveness in the surgical approach, so we get less inflammatory response and greater postoperative comfort for the patient. On the other hand, the introduction of an optical vision system provides better visual access to all parts of the shoulder joint, reducing the possibility of omitting lesions and allowing more accurate diagnoses.
It should also be noted the lower number of post-surgical complications, greater post-surgical comfort for the patient and faster recovery.
Obviously, all these advantages will be possible if they are performed by expert hands with experience in arthroscopic shoulder surgery, because one of the main disadvantages of shoulder arthroscopy is that they are surgical techniques that require a long and difficult learning period, so they must be performed by orthopedic surgeons specialized in arthroscopic surgery.