Knee arthroscopy using local anesthesia.

This study confirms the feasibility of performing arthroscopy and arthroscopic surgery with patients under local anesthesia. Seventy patients underwent arthroscopy under local anesthesia using mepivacaine with adrenaline. In 49 patients, arthroscopic surgery was performed. It is important to wait at least 20 min after the injection of the anesthetic before surgery to anesthetize the medial part of the joint. There were few complications. Diagnostic and surgical arthroscopy can be successfully performed in the majority of patients with local anesthesia.