Arthroscopy and arthroscopic surgery in a gas versus a fluid medium.

A comparison of arthroscopy in fluid and gas was performed in 50 consecutive knee arthroscopies and in 38 arthroscopies of other joints. Gas was found to give the same information as fluid in about two thirds of the knees and shoulders and to give better information than fluid in one third of patients. In elbows, hips, and ankles gas proved to be better than fluid in 52 percent of patients. The advantage of gas over fluid is that it allows a better study of the degeneration of the joint cartilage and that it presses the synovial folds down, allowing better inspection of small joints. Operative arthroscopy is fully possible in gas and may offer some advantages over operative arthroscopy in fluid.