Arthroscopy : the journal of arthroscopic & related surgery : official publication of the Arthroscopy Association of North America and the International Arthroscopy Association
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Pain relief after arthroscopic surgery of the knee: a prospective, randomized, and blinded assessment of bupivacaine and bupivacaine with adrenaline.
A prospective, randomized, and double-blind study was conducted to compare the influence on postoperative pain of equal volumes of saline, bupivacaine, or bupivacaine with adrenaline, injected both intraarticularly and into the wound puncture site, for 118 day case patients undergoing elective knee arthroscopy. Marginal analyses of postoperative visual analogue pain scores and postoperative fentanyl doses showed that the group given bupivacaine with adrenaline had less postoperative pain when compared with the saline group. However, when multifactor analyses were performed, preoperative visual analogue pain scores, operation type and length, and the sex of the patient were all shown to be significant predictors of postoperative pain, but the use of bupivacaine was not. We conclude that the observed differences in postoperative pain were due to differences between the groups in these predictive factors, especially preoperative pain scores, and that the use of bupivacaine was less important and not statistically significant in influencing postoperative pain.
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Open reduction internal fixation of displaced volar intraarticular distal radius fractures traditionally require sacrificing the volar ligaments to visualize the articular surface. We present a modification of standard arthroscopy that facilitates visualization of the radiocarpal joint while preserving these ligaments.
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An unexpected degree of joint contamination was detected during arthroscopic debridement of three intraarticular, low-velocity gunshot wounds to the knee. When bullet wounds traverse a joint, it is recommended that clothing be inspected for fabric defects and that arthroscopy be considered for the surgical debridement.
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Four patients with septic arthritis of the hip and one with suspected septic arthritis were treated with arthroscopic irrigation, debridement, and drainage. Follow-up averaged 20.4 months. Arthroscopic treatment of septic arthritis of the hip is as effective as open arthrotomy, yet with much lower morbidity.
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Irreducible knee dislocation is a rare effection of the knee joint; only 23 cases have been reported in the literature. This is a case report of a 35-year-old man who injured his left knee in a motorcycle accident. Dislocation was documented on radiograph. ⋯ Eventually, the patient had open reduction of the dislocation. An arthroscopy view of the dislocation showed that the medial femoral condyle was buttonholed through the anteromedial capsule and retinaculum. Arthroscopy was an excellent tool for partial lateral meniscectomy and planning the open surgical procedure.