Loose body removal overview
Loose body removal, a minimally-invasive outpatient knee surgery, performed under local anesthetic, removes bits of bone, cartilage or other tissue that have broken free and are floating within the knee joint.
Preparation for loose body removal
The patient is positioned so that the knee is clearly visible to the physician, and the area is cleaned and sterilized.
Accessing the joint
The surgeon creates two to five small incisions around the front of the knee. An arthroscopic camera is inserted through one of the incisions. The other incisions will be used as access points for other arthroscopic tools.
Surveying the joint
The surgeon uses the camera to scan the knee joint, identifying any damaged areas and locating the loose body. In some cases the loose body may be difficult to find.
Cleaning the joint
The surgeon inserts a grasping tool and starts the loose body removal from the joint.
End of procedure and aftercare
The instruments are removed and the incisions are sutured and bandaged. The knee will heal in two to four weeks.
