[Carbon dioxide laser in arthroscopic surgery of the knee]

In surgery of the knee, combining CO2 laser and arthroscopy provides the benefits of both techniques: work at a distance from the lesion and bleeding control for the laser, patient's comfort and functional recovery for the arthroscopy. This original method requires a CO2 laser of at least 40 watts, CO2 as gas for arthroscopy and the appropriate manual instruments. Forty patients totalling 52 lesions were operated upon by this method with 11 initial failures and 5 complications: 1 case of synovial fluid leakage due to skin burn, 2 cases of phlebitis and 2 cases of spontaneously regressive fever. The results obtained after 1 year follow-up in arthrolysis, adhesiotomy, treatment of chondromalacia patellae and partial meniscectomy are given. The CO2 laser-arthroscopy combination seems to be particularly suitable for arthrolysis and adhesiotomy.