Arthroscopy in children, with special emphasis on meniscal lesions

Seventy-six children under 16 years of age (mean age 14.5) underwent diagnostic arthroscopy of the knee. Seventeen were examined under local anaesthesia as outpatients. The referring doctors suspected a meniscal lesion in 25 cases, but in only 6 of these was the diagnosis confirmed. The surgeon's diagnosis was verified in 9 out of 31 cases; unsuspected lesions of both menisci in one knee make a total of 10 patients with meniscal lesions (10 knees, 11 menisci). The most frequent lesion found was rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament (12). Because of the arthroscopy, three minor meniscal lesions could be observed without treatment, and no menisci were totally removed. In two cases an arthrotomy would have been done on the wrong side of the knee if the operation had not been preceded by arthroscopy. Fifteen arthroscopic operations were done but only three for meniscal lesions.