[Post-traumatic knee joint arthroscopy in children and adolescents]

In a retrospective study we analyzed the arthroscopic findings of 166 knee-arthroscopies performed in children and young people up to the age of 16 years. A sports related trauma was present in 54%, a traffic injury in 15% and in 11% an other casualty. In 4% the precise injury was not sure and 16% did not refer any injury. Among the sports injuries (n = 90) ski injuries were the most frequent with 30% of all, followed by gymnastic injuries in 28%, soccer in 25% and other indoor sport injuries in 12%. 57% of all arthroscopies presented a hemarthrosis. The main finding of all arthroscopies was an cartilage lesion. The anterior cruciate ligament was torn in 30% and a dislocated patella was established in 22% of the arthroscopy while a meniscus injury was found in 17%. The injury of the collateral ligaments or of the retinaculum was found in 22%. In all cases of hemarthrosis origin of bleeding was found and only in 6% (n = 10) of all arthroscopy no pathological finding was established.