Local intra-articular anesthesia in the articulation of the knee

Local intra-articular anesthesia for arthroscopic knee surgery, alone or combined with different grades of sedation is a common regional anesthesia procedure in Argentina. It is reliable and easy to perform, allows simple identification of the anatomical structures, has little influence in hemodynamic stability and gives the possibility of a very fast discharge from hospital at low cost. Additionally, adverse effects are rare and it is of great help in the handling of postoperative pain. It appears as a valid alternative for ambulatory patients over general anesthesia or other regional central blocks. In this article we describe the anatomy of the knee and the technique in detail.