It's been nearly a decade since Western University researchers reported that arthroscopic knee surgery provides no additional benefit compared to optimized physical and medical therapy among sufferers of osteoarthritis (OA) and yet the surgery is still routinely performed internationally.
Now the investigative team from Western's Bone and Joint Institute is hoping their latest study, which analyzes the cost-effectiveness of the procedure, will make a broader impact on the health care community given its implications on the value of treatments for the more than 250 million people worldwide affected by knee OA.
Jacquelyn Marsh, Trevor Birmingham, Robert Giffin and their collaborators suggest that given the similarity in outcomes at the end of the two-year study, it is highly unlikely that arthroscopic knee surgery is cost-effective compared to non-operative treatments, that included physical therapy, exercise and medication.
