抄録
Introduction: The effectiveness of arthroscopic debridement for knee osteoarthritis has been unclear for lack of evidence of biological experimental data and poor correlation with the natural course of the disease. We reviewed 89 patients aged over 50, to assess the efficacy of this procedure.
Patients: Eighty nine patients (92 knees: 43 in men and 49 in women) underwent arthroscopic knee debridement for the treatment of degenerative osteoarthritis. Their average age was 59.8 years (range, 50-80 years) . The average follow-up period was 10 months (range, 2-59 months) . These knees were classified by the Kellgren & Lawrence (K&L) Grading System for radiographic osteoarthritic change, and the radiographic femoro-tibial angle (FTA) was measured. We assessed the articular findings of meniscal injury and cartilage damage by the ICRS (International Cartilage Repair Society) grading system intra-operatively. The arthroscopic debridement procedure included synovectomy, meniscal excision, osteophyte excision and chondroplasty for ICRS Grade 4 injury.
Result and Discussion: The outcomes were evaluated by the Knee Society Rating Systems (Knee Score) that included the knee rating and functional assessment. The knee score improved significantly after arthroscopic debridement in all cases, regardless of their original K&L grade and FTA. Fifty-four knees with initial ICRS Grade 4 injury had significantly improved knee score, and their outcomes were the same as those of initial ICRS Grade 0 to 3. Our study suggested that arthroscopic debridement, even in knees with severe cartilage damage, had positive short-term effects.
