Mike and his Wrightington colleague Chye Ng, along with Bo Liu from Beijing have published an article in the respected journal " and clinics" this month.
They share their experiences in hand and wrist small joint arthroscopy using the wide-awake local anaesthesia no tourniquet technique (WALANT). the article talks about anaesthetising the portal sites, the technical aspects of visualising the inside of such small joints and the various therapeutic options that are available.
The joints that are discussed using this wide-awake technique of the wrist joint, the MCP joint, the PIP joint, and the CMC joint of the thumb.
One of the most rewarding parts of local anaesthesia with the patient wide awake is that the patient can see at first hand the abnormal areas inside their joint and speak to their surgeon about the implications and future treatment options. Other benefits include the ability for the patient to move or grip their hands while the surgeon is looking at the bones to assess instability and whether a ligament may have been ruptured. This is a relatively new technique and is still being developed by Mike and his colleagues.