Introduction

	Digital operating theatre at the MARE Klinikum

Operations on the large joints can increasingly be performed endoscopically. After 30 years of advances in arthroscopy, nearly all operations on the knee joint—with very few exceptions, such as endoprosthetic joint replacements—can be performed endoscopically, as minimally invasive procedures.

In addition to increasing medical experience, industrial progress in developing implants and instruments has been crucially important for these advances. Complex reconstructions such as meniscal suturing, cruciate ligament plasty, and the treatment of major cartilaginous defects have become routine procedures. The results after endoscopic surgery are comparable to those of open surgery. In many cases, patients recover more quickly thanks to the minimally invasive arthroscopic procedure. Many operations are now performed on an outpatient basis.

The MARE Klinikum is specially equipped for arthroscopic operations. The centre is the first north European reference centre for digital surgical techniques, and it is the global company Smith & Nephew’s “centre of excellence” for arthroscopic surgery.