[Initial experience with arthroscopy of the joint of the hand.]

In the submitted paper the authors give an account on the development of arthroscopy of the joint of the hand and comments on arthroscopic anatomy and technique of the procedures. In the authors' hospital the procedure is carried out under general anaesthesia, the patient lies on his back with the arm suspended in extension by the fingers, using a 3-5 kg weight. The authors use a needle arthroscope of Storz Co. with a diameter of 2.7 mm which is inserted into the joint from a dorsomedial approach. During the period between Jan. 1, 1990 and Dec. 31, 1993 14 arthroscopies of the joint of the hand were made in 10 women and 4 men, three times on the left and 11 times on the right hand. The mean age of the patients was 25 years and the mean follow-up period 2 years (8 months - 3 years). Revealed surgical findings: - chondromalacia 7 times; - damage of the disk twice; - rupture of the disk and chondromalacia 3 times; - synovitis once; - no pathological intraarticular finding once (cysta lunata without perforation). By surgery with irrigation and arthroscopic procedures such as resection of a ruptured disk and elimination of a defect of the authors were able to achieve improvement in mor than 70% of the patients.