Arthroscopic treatment for osteoarthritis of the knee has been widely performed as one of the surgical options, in spite of persisting concerns regarding its efficacy. Arthroscopic debridement is a general term that is used to cover many procedures, including lavage, partial meniscectomy, removal of loose body, synovectomy, chondroplasty, removal of offending osteophytes, and/or microfracture. Recently, the role of arthroscopy in managing the osteoarthritic knee has been challenged by elusive consensus on its usefulness. Therefore, we review the available literatures for the arthroscopic intervention in knee osteoarthritis and summarized evidences for proper patient selection, which is a paramount factor to achieve the surgical goal of the arthroscopic treatment in osteoarthritic knee.
Keywords: Arthroscopic debridement; Knee; Osteoarthritis; Patient selection.