Wrist — General Part

Abstract

In 1931, Michael Burmann, considered the pioneer of arthroscopy in the United States, developed an arthroscope that incorporated some of the basic features found in modern instruments. Using a sheath 4 mm in diameter, Burmann distended cadaveric joints with Ringer lactate solution and inspected them with a 3-mm 0° scope. He examined 20 hips, 25 shoulders, 100 knees, 15 elbows, 4 wrists, and 3 ankles. Wrist arthroscopy was difficult at that time due to the relative large size of the instruments. While Burmann realized that the eventual development of narrower scopes would make it possible to examine small joints (Burmann 1931), he felt that only knee arthroscopy had a realistic chance of practical clinical use in the foreseeable future.