The significance of arthroscopy and examination under anaesthesia in the diagnosis of fresh injury haemarthrosis of the knee joint

• Published in: Injury Vol. 19; no. 1; pp. 21 - 24
• Main Authors: Harilainen, A., Myllynen, P., Antila, H., Seitsalo, S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 1988; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Anesthesia; Arthroscopy; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Evaluation Studies as Topic; Female; Hemarthrosis - diagnosis; Hemarthrosis - etiology; Humans; Injuries of the limb. Injuries of the spine; Knee Injuries - complications; Knee Injuries - diagnosis; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Traumas. Diseases due to physical agents; Knee; Human; Arthroscopy; Hemarthrosis; Diseases of the osteoarticular system; Lower limb; Anesthesia; Endoscopy; Trauma; Examination
• ISSN: 0020-1383; 1879-0267
• DOI: 10.1016/0020-1383(88)90168-4

Arthroscopy and examination under anaesthesia were performed for 328 consecutive knee injuries with haemarthrosis. These examinations were grouped according to a modified classification (Jackson and Abe, 1972) into very useful ( 117 328 , 36 per cent), useful ( 98 328 , 30 per cent) and useless ( 113 328 , 34 per cent) categories. The probability of arthroscopy being useful was estimated mathematically. The factors which made this procedure useful were knee pain on exertion before the injury ( P = 0.0561), the mechanism of the injury ( P < 0.0001) and the clinical stability of the patella ( P = 0.0007). On arrival in the emergency department it was first decided whether the leg should be mobilized, immobilized in a plaster cast, operated on or, if a definitive diagnosis could not be reached, arthroscopy was deemed necessary. This resulted in the treatment following arthroscopy, and examination under anaesthesia, being altered from conservative to operative ( P < 0.0001). Results suggest that arthroscopy and examination under anaesthesia should always be considered to help in the diagnosis of acute injury haemarthrosis of the knee especially after a valgus or varus strain.