[Comparison of the efficacy of total arthroscopy and traditional surgical treatment for the treatment of popliteal cyst].

Objective: To compare the clinical efficacy of total arthroscopic surgery and traditional surgery for popliteal cyst.

Methods: From August 2014 to July 2017, 60 cases of popliteal cyst were treated with total arthroscopy or traditional surgery respectively. In total arthroscopy group, there were 30 patients including 7 males and 23 females with an average age of (55.81±8.53) years old; the duration of the disease was (3.52±1.12) years;according to Rauschning-Lingdgren grading, 7 cases were grade I, 19 cases were grade II, 4 cases were grade III. In traditional surgical group, there were 30 patients including 5 males and 25 females with an average age of (57.93±9.84) years old; the duration of the disease was (3.48±1.34) years; according to Rauschning-Lingdgren grading, 5 cases were grade I, 21 cases were grade II, 4 cases were grade III. Preoperative symptoms involved such as arthralgia and swelling after knee joint and limited mobility. MRI confirmed a popliteal cyst. Arthroscopic surgery and traditional surgical was used respectively. Incision length, operation time, average stay, total hospital cost and Lysholm score of two groups were compared.

Results: In the total arthroscopic group, 1 case suffered from nerve injury, and all cases' incision healed well. In the traditional surgical group, there was 1 case of incision infection, 2 cases of poor healing, 1 case of nerve injury and 1 case of recurrence. All 60 cases were followed up for 6 to 30 months with an average of (13.3±6.5) months. After operation, the symptoms of knee joint arthralgia and swelling, discomfort were significantly improved in the two groups. There were statistically significant differences in incision length, operation time, average stay, total hospitalcost and Lysholm score 6 months after surgery(<0.05).

Conclusions: The total arthroscopic resection of popliteal cyst, via anterior approach to having a knee joint cavity exploration and treatment of meniscus and bursa, while combined with posteromedial approach for cyst excision would promise a minimal surgery and less pain for patients. Patients will have a rapider recovery, lower recurrence rate and less complication. The total arthroscopic resection easy to accepting for the patient and having a better clinical curative effect is obviously superior to the traditional surgery.