KNEE ARTHROSCOPIC VISIBILITY ALTERATIONS IN OBESE AND NON-OBESE PATIENTS

BACKGROUND: Obesity is a chronic disease and has become the most prevalent public health problem worldwide. The impact of obesity on knee is strong and the BMI is correlated with the different alterations. AIM: Compare surgical visualization of arthroscopic field in partial meniscectomy in obese and non-obese. METHOD: Sixty patients were selected, 30 obese and 30 non-obese who underwent arthroscopic partial meniscectomy. The arthroscopic surgical procedures were recorded and analyzed. For the analysis of visualization was used the Johnson's classification (2000). RESULTS: Were analyzed 48 men and 12 women, the average age was 42.9 years with BMI between 21.56 to 40.14 kg/m(2). The distribution of visibility of the surgical field according to the classification was: grade 1 - 38/60 (63.3%); grade 2 - 13/60 (21.6%); grade 3 - 6/60 (10%); grade 4 - 3/60 (5%). CONCLUSION: Knee arthroscopy did not show a significant difference in the visibility of arthroscopic field in obese and non-obese patients. Thus, it should not be indicated as the preferred method of diagnostic evaluation of joint changes in these patients.