Retained Scalpel Blade in the Knee Joint 15 years After Knee Arthroscopy: A Case Report
Lee Fuchs1, Fadi Shweiki, Tavor Hovav
1Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Kaplan Medical Center, Rehovot, Israel.
Case:
A 48-year-old man presented with persistent right knee pain 15 years after an arthroscopic partial meniscectomy. Right knee radiography was remarkable for a retained scalpel blade in the knee joint. The retained scalpel blade was completely removed from the affected knee arthroscopically; however, the patient's knee pain did not improve with 6 weeks of physically therapy.
Conclusions:
Arthroscopy surgeons should be cognizant of the risk for retained implants and emphasize the importance of a postprocedure surgical equipment count, and the merits of an x-ray if surgical count discrepancies are detected, or the patient has persistent joint pain despite rehabilitation.