Orthopedic surgery pioneered in the early 1950s by Dr. Masaki Watanabe of Japan to perform minimally invasive cartilage surgery and reconstructions of torn ligaments. Arthroscopy allows patients to recover from the surgery in a matter of days, rather than the weeks to months required by conventional, 'open' surgery. It is a very popular technique. Knee arthroscopy is one of the most common operations performed by orthopedic surgeons today and is often combined with meniscectomy or chondroplasty. The majority of upper extremity outpatient orthopedic procedures are now performed arthroscopically. Arthroplasty is an orthopedic surgery where the articular surface of a musculoskeletal joint is
Arthroscopy Association of North America committee structure, the continuous development and refinement of psychomotor skills courses, and ownership, production and distribution of a peer reviewed journal. AANA conducts an annual fall course and an annual spring meeting. AANA has created a research fund from which annual grants are awarded. AANA produces a quarterly newsletter and has developed a Web site to facilitate communications with the membership and the global community. The official journals of AANA are "Arthroscopy: The Journal of Arthroscopic and Related Surgery" and Arthroscopy Techniques. AANA also jointly participates biannually in the Robert W. Metcalf, MD Memorial Meeting which provides 26 hours of