SHOULDER ARTHROSCOPY

Shoulder Arthroscopy: Arthroscopy, or Minimally Invasive “keyhole” surgery, allows the surgeon to look into the shoulder joint, make an exact diagnosis, and treat the condition with an operation that requires very small skin cuts. We use specially made instruments that fit through the small skin incisions and we visualize the shoulder using a camera. Because this technique disturbs the shoulder joint less than open surgery, the hospital stay is shorter and the recovery smoother than with “open surgery”.

There are several conditions that can be treated with shoulder arthroscopic surgery:

Rotator Cuff tears Shoulder Impingement Frozen Shoulders Shoulder dislocations or instability Cartilage or labral tears SLAP lesions Bankart’s lesions Loose particles in the joint Calcific Tendonitis Infections Biceps tendinopathy

You will require some preoperative tests, to ensure you are fit for a general anesthetic. We will ask you to fill in some questionnaires prior to surgery. We are part of an international group who study outcomes of different operations to ensure that surgical outcomes are satisfactory. We get you to fill out similar questionnaires at the conclusion of your treatment. You will be admitted to the hospital on the morning of surgery. You must remove all rings from your hand prior to surgery. There usually will be 3 very small incisions about the shoulder. Occasionally there will be up to 6 small incisions if there are several facets to the surgery. Patients are usually discharged home the same day or the morning after surgery

Shoulder arthroscopy procedure

Scars after shoulder arthroscopy