Changing practice: incidence of non-reconstructive arthroscopic knee surgery in people over 50 years of age, Australia, 2008-2018

Abstract

The results of low bias randomised controlled trials over the past 6 years have suggested that the outcomes of arthroscopic partial meniscectomies in people with non‐obstructive degenerative medial meniscal tears are similar to those of sham surgery1 or structured rehabilitation.2 Further, older randomised trials found that arthroscopic lavage and debridement is no more beneficial for patients with uncomplicated osteoarthritis than placebo treatments.3 As this evidence cast doubts upon the efficacy of arthroscopic meniscectomy for degenerative meniscal pathology, we investigated the 10‐year incidence of non‐reconstructive, non‐reparative arthroscopic knee procedures in Australia in people over 50 years of age.