Diagnostic arthroscopy: indications and interpretation of findings.

Many authors recommend arthroscopy for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes. Arthroscopy is a sophisticated investigation, which can cause damage requiring wrist fusion. It allows visualization of findings, but these are subtle and difficult, if not impossible to interpret, since the contralateral wrist cannot be used as a standard for comparison. Furthermore, not all intracarpal ligaments are directly and reliably visible through the arthroscope: for example the scaphoid-trapezial ligament which is essential for the stabilization of the distal part of the scaphoid. Therefore, it is questionable whether we can define arthroscopy as a gold standard of diagnosis just because it permits direct vision, as if what cannot be seen does not exist! Traction, mandatory for examination, induces particular stresses that may distort intracarpal motion and so-called dynamic evaluation. Each author tends to present a specific classification, rendering comprehension even more difficult. Accordingly, teaching and learning become a real challenge. Arthroscopy may be important in particular cases, but it remains only one component of a complex clinical assessment. Copyright 2001 The British Society for Surgery of the Hand.