Wrist arthroscopy is a minimally invasive surgical procedure that can be used to both diagnose and treat a wide range of conditions affecting the wrist joint. The wrist is made up of eight small bones, along with ligaments, tendons and other tissues that can become damaged as a result of degeneration, trauma, disease and other factors.
During the procedure, your surgeon will make several tiny incisions in the wrist, into which a thin tube called an arthroscope and small surgical instruments are inserted. The tube is connected to a camera that displays images of the wrist's internal structure on a computer screen, allowing your surgeon to precisely identify and target any abnormalities within the joint.
Depending on what is found during the diagnostic procedure, your surgeon may choose to treat the condition at the same time. Wrist arthroscopy can be used to remove inflamed areas, repair fractures, remove ganglion cysts and repair torn ligaments or tendons.
After surgery, patients should keep the wrist elevated and bandaged for several days in order to reduce the risk of pain and swelling and to promote proper healing. Patients will experience significantly less bleeding, less scarring and shorter recovery times with the arthroscopy procedure than they would with traditional open surgery.