Downward Trend in Use of Knee Arthroscopy

Randomized trial published during the past 2 decades have shown that knee arthroscopy confers minimal value compared with medical management for most patients with osteoarthritis, meniscal tears, and nonspecific knee pain (NEJM JW Gen Med Jul 1 2017 and BMJ 2017; 357:1982). In this study, a Florida ambulatory surgery database was used to assess knee arthroscopy trends during this period.

From 2002 through 2015, nearly 900,000 knee arthroscopies were performed in adults, most for meniscal disease. In age-adjusted analyses, annual rates of arthroscopy during this period declined significantly — from about 450 per 100,000 people to about 350 per 100,000 people.