Needle Arthroscopy vs Conventional Arthroscopy in Knees

NCT07823504 | Not Yet Recruiting DMC

• 1 other identifier: NANO 07-05-2026
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 54
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

This is a pilot randomized controlled trial will have 54 participants. The purpose of this study is to compare two surgical techniques to determine the differences in postoperative pain and early recovery in patients between 18-65 years old with simple knee pathologies including meniscal tear, chondral lesions, and loose bodies. Patient-reported outcomes and operative efficiency will be also compared. The two surgical techniques we are comparing are:

1. 1.NanoScope™ Needle Arthroscopy for the affected knee
2. 2.Conventional Arthroscopy for the affected knee Patients will be randomized pre-operatively but final eligibility will be confirmed intra-operatively.

Conditions

Meniscectomy; Meniscal Repair; Loose Body Knee; Meniscal Tears; Chondral Lesion of the Knee

Keywords

simple knee pathology; arthroscopy

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Postoperative Pain

  measured using VAS and opioid use

  14 days

Study Arms (2)

NanoScope Needle Arthroscopy

EXPERIMENTAL

Local Anesthesia (1% Lidocaine with Epinephrine) at portal sites + intra-articular injection. IV Sedation or Light General Anesthesia (LMA) may be utilized based on patient anxiety and surgeon preference. A tourniquet will be applied but not inflated unless visualization is compromised by bleeding. This procedure uses very small openings in the knee made with specialized needles and a tiny 1.9mm camera system called the NanoScope™. The surgeon first examines the knee and then performs the needed treatment (e.g. meniscectomy) using small surgical instruments designed for this system. The small openings are usually closed with adhesive strips or, if needed, a single suture.

Procedure: Needle Arthroscopy

Conventional Arthroscopy

NO INTERVENTION

General Anesthesia (LMA/ET) or Spinal Anesthesia will be utilized. A tight tourniquet is applied and inflated prior to incision as standard of care. This standard procedure uses two small openings in the knee, each about 4-5mm wide. The surgeon examines the knee and performs the required treatment using a 4.0mm standard-sized camera and surgical instruments (shavers, biters). The openings are closed with nylon sutures or adhesive strips. This is the current standard of care for the included pathologies.

Interventions

Needle Arthroscopy PROCEDURE

Needle Arthroscopy: Local Anesthesia (1% Lidocaine with Epinephrine) at portal sites + intra-articular injection. IV Sedation or Light General Anesthesia (LMA) may be utilized based on patient anxiety and surgeon preference. A tourniquet will be applied but not inflated unless visualization is compromised by bleeding. This procedure uses very small openings in the knee made with specialized needles and a tiny 1.9mm camera system called the NanoScope™. The surgeon first examines the knee and then performs the needed treatment (e.g. meniscectomy) using small surgical instruments designed for this system. The small openings are usually closed with adhesive strips or, if needed, a single suture.

NanoScope Needle Arthroscopy

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 65 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Clinical diagnosis of: Meniscal tears (Medial or Lateral) suitable for partial meniscectomy or simple repair; Chondral lesions / Chondromalacia (ICRS Grade 1-3); Loose bodies; Synovitis requiring synovectomy; Cyclops lesion (post-ACL reconstruction).
• Age: 18 to 65 years at time of surgery.
• Imaging: Pre-operative MRI performed within 6 months of the surgery date. And an X-ray showing no fractures.
• Consent: Willingness and ability to provide informed consent and attend follow-up visits.

You may not qualify if:

• Instability: Concomitant ACL, PCL, or multi-ligament injury requiring reconstruction (reconstruction cannot be performed solely with NanoScope).
• Osteoarthritis: Advanced Osteoarthritis defined as Kellgren-Lawrence Grade 3 or 4 (bone-on-bone) on pre-operative weight-bearing radiographs.
• Complex Pathology: Complex meniscal tears requiring repair techniques strictly requiring standard instrumentation (e.g., large bucket-handle tears requiring inside-out/outside-in sutures).
• Infection: Active local or systemic infection.
• BMI: Body Mass Index \> 40 (due to potential visualization difficulties with the 1.9mm system in deep soft tissue).
• Previous Surgery: Revision meniscal repair on the affected compartment (unless simple debridement).
• Legal/WCB: Patients involved in active litigation or Workers Compensation Board (WCB) claims.
• Language: Unable to speak, read, or understand English (preventing completion of PROMs).
• Pregnancy: at the time of surgery.
• Mental Health: Conditions that preclude informed consent and follow-up (e.g. mental capacity, impaired judgment and/or memory, severe mood episodes, dementia, etc).
• Major illness: Life expectancy \<1yr or unacceptably high surgery risk).
• Final assessment of eligibility will be made intra-operatively and include:
• Arthritis: If grade 3 or 4 chondral damage (exposed bone) is discovered intra-operatively that was not evident on radiographs, the patient may be excluded from the per-protocol analysis but retained for safety analysis.
• Technique Failure (Crossover): If a patient randomized to the NanoScope Group has pathology that cannot be adequately visualized or treated with the needle system (e.g., tight compartment, excessive bleeding, or inability to access pathology), the surgeon will convert to Conventional Arthroscopy. These patients will be considered "enrolled" and analyzed in their original randomized group (Intention-to-Treat principle), but the case will be documented as a "Failure of Technique".

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Panam Clinic: lead

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Orthopaedic Surgeon

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 11, 2026
• First Posted: September 16, 2026
• Study Start (Estimated): January 1, 2027
• Primary Completion (Estimated): March 1, 2028
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2028
• Last Updated: September 16, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-09

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share