Arthroscopy: The Journal of Arthroscopic and Related Surgery 8(3):359- 362 Published by Raven Press, Ltd. Work of U.S. Government, not subject to copyright in the United States. Arthroscopic Surgery of the Knee: Its Role in the Support of U.S. Troops During Operation Desert Shield on USNS Mercy Steven L. Buckley, LCDR, MC, USNR, A. Alexander, M. Jones, LCDR, MC, USNR, Randall W. Culp, LCDR, MC, USNR, and Thomas Smallman, LTC, CFMS, F.R.C.S.(C) Summary: The role of arthroscopy in the preconflict deployment of a large number of military troops is not well defined. Between September 1990 and January 1991, while deployed to the Persian Gulf for Operation Desert Shield 73 patients underwent on-board elective arthroscopy on the USNS Mercy. There were 71 men and two women with an average age of 27 years (range 19-47). Indications for arthroscopy included clinical diagnosis of meniscus tear, acute hemarthrosis, chronic effusion, and intra-articular loose body. Findings at the time of arthroscopy included 34 patients (47%) with meniscus tears; 17 (23%) with anterior cruciate ligament tears; five (7%) with isolated grade II-IV chondromalacia involving the patella, trochlea, femoral condyles, or tibial plateaus; six (8%) with synovitis; four (5%) with osteochondritis dis- secans of the medial femoral condyle; two (3%) with a medial retinacular tear secondary to patella dislocation; and 10 (14%) with normal arthroscopic ex- aminations. Forty-nine patients (66%) were returned to duty at an average of 6 days postoperatively, obviating the need to evacuate these patients from the Middle East theatre. Key Words: Knee surgery-operation Desert Shield. Although arthroscopy of the knee has proven to be extremely useful in the diagnosis and treatment of knee disorders in civilian and peacetime practice (l-6), its role in the preconflict deployment of a large number of military troops is not well defined. In an attempt to better define the importance of arthroscopy of the knee in a large overseas deploy- ment, the present study was undertaken on the hos- From the Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, LJSNS Mercy (T- AH 19), FPO San Francisco, California, U.S.A. Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Steven L. Buckley, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Children’s Na- tional Medical Center, 111 Michigan Ave., N.W., Washington, DC 20010-2970, U.S.A. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not reflect the offZal policy or position of the Department of the Navy, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government. pita1 ship USNS Mercy during Operation Desert Shield. MATERIALS AND METHODS Between September 16, 1990, and January 16, 1991, while deployed to the Persian Gulf for Oper- ation Desert Shield, 253 patients were referred to the USNS Mercy for orthopedic evaluation and treatment. One hundred three of these patients were referred for knee complaints, of which 73 un- derwent arthroscopy. The majority of these patients had been evaluated by military orthopedic sur- geons, usually at shore-based field hospitals, and had failed a course of conservative treatment before their referral to USNS Mercy. Each patient was interviewed and examined by one of the authors 359