New From PubMed:

Researchers used the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, and other reseources to search for and analyze data on the effectiveness of arthroscopic debridement (AD) on pain and function in knee osteoarthritis (OA). Data was used from randomized controlled trials and controlled clinical trials that assessed the effectiveness of AD in patients with knee OA as compared with another surgical procedure or nonsurgical interventions. The intended outcomes were pain relief and improved knee function. Researchers found that AD had no significant difference when compared with lavage or with closed-needle lavage. Compared with sham surgery, AD was found to have a worse outcome in the weeks immediately following the procedure, and a similar outcome after 2 years. The only trial that reported significantly reduced knee pain from AD over another procedure compared AD with arthroscopic washout. However, this trial was found to have a high risk of bias. Overall, researchers concluded that there is significant evidence that AD has no benefit for knee OA of mechanical or inflammatory causes.

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