Arthroscopic surgery 

The use of a small camera at the end of a wand to perform surgery.  Usually the surgeon makes 3 holes (called portals) into the structure he/she is going to operate on (like a joint, or perhaps the abdomen).  The camera wand (arthroscope) is passed through one hole.  The other two holes are used to perform the surgery.  Sometimes a surgery is too difficult to perform arthroscopically and in those cases, the surgeon will make a larger incision that allows him/her to see the structures directly.  This is called an “open procedure.”