History of Wrist Arthroscopy

Abstract

The history of wrist arthroscopy is built on the foundations laid by the Japanese surgeons Kenji Takagi and Masaki Watanabe in the first half of the twentieth century, but truly began as improving technology allowed the miniaturization of lens and camera technology to fit into the wrist joint. Individuals such as Terry Whipple (USA), Gary G. Poehling (USA), and James Roth (Canada) took these new scopes and developed the basis for our modern practice of wrist arthroscopy.In the 1980s, the core principles of wrist arthroscopy including access portals and joint distraction were developed, before the therapeutic applications flourished in the 1990s and 2000s. The European Wrist Arthroscopy Society (EWAS), International Wrist Arthroscopy Society (IWAS), and the Asia Pacific Wrist Association (APWA) provided the professional networks for surgeons around the world to rapidly increase the scope of practice for wrist arthroscopy. They also supported workshops around the world, ensuring that more and more patients have benefited from these new techniques.This chapter is based on the recollections and publications of influential surgeons from around the world including Takagi, Watanabe, Hiroshi Ikeuchi (Japan), Robert Jackson (Canada), and Christophe Mathoulin (France), and an interview Gregory I. Bain (Australia) conducted with Whipple and Poehling in October 2019. These sources provide an in-depth exploration of the global history of wrist arthroscopy's development from the early experiments to its modern role as a highly effective therapeutic tool. Early Wrist ArthroscopyThe most detailed early descriptions of wrist arthroscopy came from Japan, with Watanabe and Yung-Cheng Chen (Japan) both publishing their early cases [1,2]. Both surgeons used the

History of Wrist Arthroscopy

“…The authors have previously published a paper on the history of wrist arthroscopy in the Journal of Arthroscopic and Sports Medicine in 2020. 1 This current article includes an updated text, and many new figures and videos with additional insights into the early development of arthroscopic techniques, especially those related to the wrist.…”

NanoScope Arthroscopy: Lessons Learned in the First 75 Cases

“…Wrist arthroscopy has an extensive history marked by the innovating efforts of hand surgery pioneers who believed in the promise of arthroscopy to broaden the scope of the field. 1 Masaki Watanabe's Atlas of Arthroscopy was first published in 1957. Terry Whipple, Gary Poehling, and James Roth organized the first wrist arthroscopy course in 1986 with 47 attendees, including 10 former Presidents of the American Society of the Hand.…”

“…Terry Whipple, Gary Poehling, and James Roth organized the first wrist arthroscopy course in 1986 with 47 attendees, including 10 former Presidents of the American Society of the Hand. 1 Advancements in miniaturization of existing technology have allowed for a broader application of arthroscopy, namely, in small joints. The first 1.9-mm arthroscope was developed by Watanabe, the No.…”

“…Although the diameters of these arthroscopes were small, the size of the camera remained large and heavy, with the first models the size of a "bread box." 1 This was quite difficult for the surgeon to manipulate intraoperatively and, as one can imagine, created limitations in its applicability.…”