Arthroscopic surgery probably not warranted for degenerative knee disease

The findings of this review demonstrate that arthroscopic surgery for people with symptomatic degenerative knee disease (average age ranging from 46 to 65; 56% women), provides little or no clinically important benefit in pain or function, probably does not provide clinically important benefits in knee‐specific quality of life, and may not improve treatment success compared with placebo surgery. These results apply to people with knee osteoarthritis with or without meniscal tears, as well as people with meniscal tears alone.

Arthroscopic surgery may or may not increase serious and total adverse events compared with control. Serious adverse events include deep venous thrombosis, myocardial infarction, pulmonary embolism, infection and death, and are likely mostly attributable to the arthroscopic surgery. Arthroscopic surgery may lead to greater progression of knee osteoarthritis and may or may not slightly increase subsequent need for knee surgery (replacement or osteotomy).