My son is about to have surgery for a problem with the meniscus in his knee. He's 10. The doctor wants to do a full surgery instead of with the scope. I know that surgeons can do this with scopes because several people I know have had it. Why does he want to subject my son to an open surgery instead?

Without knowing that the problem is with your son's meniscus, it's hard to say why one type of surgery would be preferred over another. However, sometimes it is a better idea to open the knee with a traditional incision than do an arthroscopic surgery, with the slender, long reaching instruments.

A child's joint is quite small, leaving not much room to maneuver. It's possible that the surgeon feels more comfortable doing the open surgery, allowing him to see the entire joint, than try to do it arthroscopically.

Reference:

Fabian Gotz Krause, MD et al. Mini-Arthrotomy for Lateral Discoid Menisci in Children. In Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics. March 2009. Vol. 29. No. 2. Pp. 130 to 136.

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