An unusual complication of knee arthroscopy: an extra-articular migrated asymptomatic broken probe from the knee joint.

摘要

In large knee arthroscopy series, the complication rate has been reported to be between 2 and 8. Although preventable in most cases, the incidence of instrument breakage remains approximately 3. Despite this relatively frequent occurrence, few case reports have been published regarding these complications. In this case report, a patient carried a broken probe tip in her popliteal muscle belly for 5 years without symptoms. During arthroscopy, when the C-arm was temporarily not available, a probe tip had broken off and was left behind in the knee joint. It migrated through a popliteal hiatus into the popliteal fossa, and lodged in the medial head of the gastrocnemius muscle. When knee pain occurred 5 years later, the piece was located with fluoroscopy and was recovered without complications. This is the first such case reported in the English medical literature.