In a first, AH GMC Rajouri conducts Arthroscopic surgery

Rajouri, Jan 10: In a first, Arthroscopic surgery was on Tuesday conducted at AH GMC Rajouri under the supervision of Principal Prof. (Dr) A S Bhatia and Medical Superintendent Dr Mehmood Hussain Bajar.
ACL Reconstruction and Meniscectomy surgery has been performed on the patient namely Shahida Begum resident of Koteranka by a team of doctors comprising of Dr Irfan Malik Assistant Professor Orthopaedics, Dr Nahid Khan Anaesthetist, Dr Adrees SR Orthopaedics, Dr Ashraf DNB Orthopaedics, Shahid Bhat OT Technician and Amir Anesthesia Technician, a statement issued said.
Earlier, the patients had to go out of Rajouri for such a surgery, which will now be conducted on a regular basis at AH GMC Rajouri. This surgery has been performed free of cost under AB-PMJAY Sehat Scheme whereas it is a costly procedure, the statement said.
Arthroscopy is a surgical procedure for diagnosing and treating joint problems that Orthopaedic surgeon use to visualize and treat problems inside a joint. The word arthroscopy comes from two Greek words, “arthro” (joint) and “skopein” (to look). The term literally means “to look within the joint.”
“In arthroscopic surgery, an Orthopaedic surgeon makes a small incision in the patient’s skin, then inserts a pencil-sized instrument that contains a small lens and lightening system to magnify and illuminate the structures inside the joint. Light is transmitted through fiber optics to the end of the arthroscope that is inserted into the joint.”
By attaching the arthroscope to a miniature camera, the surgeon is able to see the interior of the joint through this very small incision, rather than the larger incision needed for open surgery, the statement said.
“The camera attached to the arthroscope displays the image of the joint on a video monitor, allowing the surgeon to look throughout the joint. This lets the surgeon see the structures like cartilage and ligaments etc. The surgeon can determine the amount or type of injury and then repair or correct the problem, if it is necessary. Doctors use arthroscopy to help diagnose and treat a variety of joint conditions, most commonly affecting the: Knee, Shoulder, Elbow, Ankle, Hip and wrist joint.”
It said that conditions treated with arthroscopy include loose bone fragments, damaged or torn cartilage, inflamed joint linings, torn ligaments and scarring within joints etc.