Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2019 Jan 14;6(1):1.
doi: 10.1186/s40634-018-0168-y.

The history of radiofrequency energy and Coblation in arthroscopy: a current concepts review of its application in chondroplasty of the knee

Scott R Anderson  1 , Scott C Faucett  2 , David C Flanigan  3 , Ralph A Gmabardella  4 , Nirav H Amin  5
Affiliations
Review

The history of radiofrequency energy and Coblation in arthroscopy: a current concepts review of its application in chondroplasty of the knee

Scott R Anderson et al. J Exp Orthop. .

Abstract

Radiofrequency energy has had widespread use for a variety of surgical procedures. Its application in orthopedic surgery initiated with shoulder instability. Over the last couple decades it has been applied as surgical tool for cartilage treatment as well. There have been significant gains in its technology and our understanding of its potential benefits. We address its history and advancements in becoming a surgical tool for cartilage lesions along with a review of recent long-term follow up studies.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests

SRA has no competing interests. SCF is a consultant for Allosource, Ceterix, Smith and Nephew, Trice. SCF is a Board of committee member for American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine, Arthroscopy and International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine. SCF is a paid presenter for Ossur. SCF receives royalties from Trice and Smith and Nephew. DCF is a consultant for Depuy-Mitek, Zimmer, Smith and Nephew, Histogenics, Vericel, Conmed-MTF. DCF is on the advisory board for Histogenics, Vericel, Conmed-MTF. DCF receives Research support from Vericel, MTF, Smith and Nephew, Zimmer, Histogenics, Aesculap, Anika Therapeutics, Moximed and CartiHeal. DCF is on the committee for Arthroscopy Association of North America and AOSSM. RAG is a consultant for Smith and Nephew. NHA is a consultant for Depuy, Trice, Smith and Nephew and Pacira.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Coblation Plasma layer Mechanism of Action
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Intaoperative Image of Coblation and depiction of plasma layer
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Amiel D, Ball ST, Tasto JP. Chondrocyte viability and metabolic activity after treatment of bovine articular cartilage with bipolar radiofrequency: an in vitro study. Arthroscopy. 2004;20(5):503–510. doi: 10.1016/j.arthro.2004.03.018. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Anderson DE, Rose MB, Wille AJ, Wiedrick J, Crawford DC. Arthroscopic mechanical chondroplasty of the knee is beneficial for treatment of focal cartilage lesions in the absence of concurrent pathology. Orthop J Sports Med. 2017;5(5):2325967117707213. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Anderson K, Warren RF, Altchek DW, Craig EV, O'Brien SJ. Risk factors for early failure after thermal capsulorrhaphy. Am J Sports Med. 2002;30(1):103–107. doi: 10.1177/03635465020300010201. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Årøen A, Løken S, Heir S, Alvik E, Ekeland A, Granlund OG, Engebretsen L. Articular cartilage lesions in 993 consecutive knee arthroscopies. Am J Sports Med. 2004;32(1):211–215. doi: 10.1177/0363546503259345. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Barber FA, Uribe JW, Weber SC. Current applications for arthroscopic thermal surgery. Arthroscopy. 2002;18(2):40–50. doi: 10.1053/jars.2002.31794. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources