Keyhole surgery

Written by Dr Sheila Strover on March 14, 2025

Keyhole surgery is surgery performed with thin instruments through two or more tiny cuts, or portals.

Illustration of arthroscopic surgery where a light source is passed into the knee cavity, and instruments inserted via a different portal to deal with the issue.
Keyhole surgeon has the light source in one hand and the instrumentation in the other.
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Looking at the joint surfaces inside the joint cavity.

Keyhole surgery of a joint is called arthroscopy

The word 'arthro' means 'joint', and 'scopy' means 'looking at'.

So arthroscopy is keyhole surgery where one uses narrow instruments to look into a joint via a tiny incision or portal, and the image is relayed onto a monitor in front of the surgeon's head.

Arthroscopy, Arthroscopic surgery