Editorial Commentary: Indications for Needle Arthroscopy as an Alternative to Magnetic Resonance Imaging: More to the Picture Than Meets the Eye

Abstract

Needle arthroscopy (using a 1- to 1.9-mm diameter arthroscope) is not new, and new interest is a result of the expense and inconvenience of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), including time out of work, prolonged diagnostic dilemmas, and finite advanced imaging resources. Improvements in the image quality with the modern needle arthroscope have made it a viable option for use as a diagnostic tool in the operative setting, and eventually, if surgeons are able to create strict criteria for proper diagnostic use of the needle arthroscope, it may become an excellent tool for in-office use despite financial or legal hurdles. Specific clinical scenarios for use of an diagnostic needle arthroscopy instead of an MRI (and typically immediately followed by therapeutic arthroscopy in the same setting) include (1) a patient with a clinically obvious meniscus tear with a locked knee, (2) a patient with an outdated but previously positive MRI with recurrent injury such as a recurrent shoulder or patella dislocations, (3) a patient who is ineligible for an MRI such as those with pacemakers or spinal implants who have clear and obvious clinical findings to suggest intra-articular pathology, and (4) a patient who is over the age of 50 years with positive rotator cuff testing after a shoulder dislocation in which I have a high degree of suspicion of a rotator cuff tear. In the future, we envision using multiple needle arthroscopes to provide simultaneous views from different angles during surgery and giving ourselves a 360° view. I envision an operating room in the future with multiple small needle scopes in joint and multiple viewing monitors providing a new 3-dimensional world of arthroscopy.