The evolution of clinical applications of biodegradable implants in arthroscopic surgery.

Arthroscopic surgery is the most recent orthopaedic discipline to embrace biodegradable implant technology. Osteochondral fractures have been shown to be amenable to arthroscopic fixation with biodegradable pins. The areas of most recent interest have been biodegradable interference screw fixation for ACL reconstruction in the knee, biodegradable suture anchors for rotator cuff repair and capsulolabral repair in the shoulder. Biodegradable implants have allowed a paradigm shift away from bionic (mechanical replacement) engineering and toward true biologic solutions to reconstructive problems in arthroscopic surgery.