Operative arthroscopy for the treatment of problems of the medial compartment of the knee.

This study reports early results in patients who underwent operative arthroscopy involving the medial compartment of the knee. The patients were selected because they had meniscus and articular lesions associated with middle age. Visualization of defects was via video camera and television screen. Triangulation was the main technique used for operative arthroscopy. Results were classified as Good (67%) Fair (20%), or Poor (13%). Marked arthritis involving the medial compartment was felt to account for the final result in nearly all of the patients in the Fair and Poor groups. The report concludes that operative arthroscopy is generally well tolerated. In this group of patients the results depended on the amount of arthritis. The greater the amount of arthritis in the knee, the worse the result. The results in these middle-aged patients are comparable with those achieved by formal arthrotomy in similar groups.