What is ankle arthroscopy?
Ankle arthroscopy is a surgical procedure that uses a fiber optic camera and other tools (shaver, radiofrequency abalator) to treat/diagnose pathology in the ankle joint. This procedures consists of 2 small incision on the medial side of the tibialis anterior tendon and lateral to the peroneus tertius tendon. Ankle arthroscopy can be done anteriorly and posteriorly depending on the pathology being treated .
What does ankle arthroscopy treat?
Ankle arthroscopy can be used to treat synovitis, arthrofibrosis, anterior/posterior bony impingement, os trigonum, osteochondral lesions of the talus, ankle fusion, lateral ankle ligament instability, removal of loose bodies, and can be used to verify anatomic reduction in trauma cases.
Who needs ankle arthroscopy?
Patients with chronic ankle pain that fail conservative treatments are candidates for ankle arthroscopy, typically an MRI is done to diagnose pathology. Commonly a diagnostic block will be done using local anesthetic/steroid to confirm resolution of ankle pain.
What is a complication of ankle arthroscopy?
The surgery comes with an increased risk of nerve damage that can cause temporary numbness/tingling. The nerve is the intermediate dorsal cutaneous branch of the superficial peroneal nerve.
Video of an ankle scope: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYSiMsYl09s