[Knee arthroscopy for gonarthrosis in France in 2001]

The purpose of this study was to describe the number of arthroscopic procedures conducted for gonarthrosis in France in 2001 and to establish the corresponding hospital costs.

The national database of the medicalization program information system (PMSI) which records all public and private hospitalizations was used to identify all arthroscopic procedures performed for gonarthrosis (principal diagnosis=indication for operation). We noted the number of procedures, the type of hospitalization (< 24h vs > or = 24h), hospital sector (private vs public), associated diagnoses involving the knee, interventions, and hospital cost (using the 2004 schedule). We compared these data with hospitalizations for arthroscopy where gonarthrosis was noted as an associated diagnosis (secondary diagnosis).

In 2001, a total of 148,870 hospitalizations were recorded (4,059 for gonarthrosis and 5755 with a secondary diagnosis of gonarthrosis). The 9814 arthroscopies performed were mainly in persons aged over 50 years with meniscal lesions, hospitalized for > 24 h, in the private sector, with joint wash-out and meniscectomy and/or removal of a foreign body. Significantly more meniscal conditions and joint wash-out with meniscectomy and/or removal of a foreign body were observed when gonarthrosis was the secondary diagnosis. The mean hospital cost was 1724 +/- 501 euros and 501 +/- 623 euros for gonarthrosis as the primary and secondary diagnosis respectively. The overall hospital cost for all arthroscopic procedures was 15,644,225 euros.

The national database (PMSI) can be used as a complementary tool to help in the evaluation of arthroscopic procedures associated with gonarthrosis.