Negative knee arthroscopy: Is it really negative?

Abstract

To evaluate the outcome of patients in whom knee arthroscopy proved to be normal. Retrospective study. Knee arthroscopy is probably the most common procedure performed in orthopaedic practice. A number of patients who undergo this procedure do not have any abnormality detected. Is negative arthroscopy really such an unnecessary procedure? Hospital records of patients who had undergone knee arthroscopy were retrospectively studied and all patients with a normal knee arthroscopy were selected. Fifty-three patients (55 knees) with a normal arthroscopy were included into the study. Patients were then interviewed either by telephone or questionnaire to ascertain current symptoms, job changes, and patient perception of the procedure. The mean follow-up was 43 months. Fifty percent of the patients had a history of injury, and the preoperative diagnosis was thought to be a meniscal lesion or a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in 38% of patients. Sixty-eight percent of the patients felt that they were better and there were no complications. The incidence of all symptoms were significantly reduced after arthroscopy. A significant number of patients felt that they were better after the knee arthroscopy. The reason for this is not entirely clear. It may well be attributable to a placebo effect, the fact that patients now know that there is no abnormality and learn to live with the symptoms, or there may be an additional benefit of the procedure itself.