Shoulder joint arthroscopy

Our technique of diagnostic and surgical shoulder arthroscopy is presented, and normal variational arthroscopic anatomy of the shoulder is described. This report was based on the diagnostic findings of 118 patients (120 shoulders) who, over a 26-month period, presented with pain, popping, or instability of the shoulder and who underwent diagnostic or operative shoulder arthroscopy. The average duration of symptoms prior to surgery was 12 months. Arthroscopic examination revealed one or more abnormalities in 88% of the patients. We found that diagnostic arthroscopy of the shoulder is systematic and reproducible when attention is given to normal and variational shoulder anatomy and consistent technical detail.