Health Sciences · Robert W. Jackson Arthroscopy · UTSIC
A metal optical instrument with a long, thin stem and an angled handle. The instrument consists of two parts: an arthroscope and its corresponding sheath.
The stem of the arthroscope consists of a central cylindrical lens with smaller cylindrical fiber optic channels on either side. Behind this is a rotating nut used to attach the arthroscope to its sheath. At the other end of this stem is a port into which narrow instruments may be inserted. This has a small valve attached to it, presumably to close it off. A grey plastic handle and eyepiece are attached to the optical stem at an angle. Protruding from the upper part of the handle is a port for a fibre optic light source.
The arthroscope is fitted into a sheath with two ports protruding opposite each other from its perimeter. The stem of the sheath is marked in centimetre increments.
Accession Number: 2020.JAC.7
Alternative Name:
Primary Materials: Metal, Glass, Plastic.
Engraved between the valves of the sheath: “STORZ Germany”
On facets of the grey handle adjacent to the fiber optic port: “28130 A 0°”, “STORZ Germany”, “HOPKINS”
Dimensions (cm): Height = 13, Width = 6, Length = 28.
An arthroscope is an optical instrument for viewing the interior of a joint during a surgical operation. Its development made possible minimally invasive surgery for many knee operations. It significantly improved diagnoses and healing times for many knee conditions. Specialized arthroscopes may also be used on smaller joints.
There are very light abrasions/signs of wear across the surface of the instrument. There are loose metallic flakes in the channel of the arthroscope formed by the top surface of the optical tube and the inner surfaces of the fibre optic tubes.
Associated Instruments:
Manufacturer: KARL STORZ company, Tuttlingen, Germany
Date of Manufacture: 1970s
The Robert W. Jackson Arthroscopy Collection was acquired by the University of Toronto from Dr. Jackson’s family on November 12th, 2020.
Robert W. Metcalf (1980). Arthroscopic Surgery of the Knee: Instruction Manual. (Note that this is a ring-bound manual that was available for purchase as part of a seminar series based at the Salt Lake Surgical Centre. It was likely not formally published and may not be easily available).
This item represents an early (possibly the earliest) model of operative arthroscope by Storz. It was likely introduced in the mid-to-late 1970s. The first such instrument was the O’Connor operative arthroscope, of which there are two examples in this collection. According to orthopedic surgeon Robert W. Metcalf, this version, which had a 45° angle of the eyepiece relative to the operating angle, proved challenging to use. Around 1980, the scope was updated to reposition the eyepiece at operating angle with a horizontal offset like the O’Connor and Eder operating arthroscopes. (See Metcalf 1980, 2-5).
- Donated to UTSIC