Arthroscopic surgery is the most recent orthopaedic discipline to embrace b
iodegradable implant technology. Osteochondral fractures have been shown to
be amenable to arthroscopic fixation with biodegradable pins. The areas of
most recent interest have been biodegradable interference screw fixation f
or ACL reconstruction in the knee, biodegradable suture anchors for rotator
cuff repair and capsulolabral repair in the shoulder. Biodegradable implan
ts have allowed a paradigm shift away from bionic (mechanical replacement)
engineering and toward true biologic solutions to reconstructive problems i
n arthroscopic surgery. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.