Technological Trajectories of Arthroscopy Patents Reveal Maturation, a Shift Toward Digitally Enhanced Precision Surgery, and Future Growth in Arthroscopy-Related Surgical Robots

To quantitatively analyze global arthroscopy patents, identify key development trends, and explore emerging technological directions. This study conducted a systematic patent search in the Lens database, spanning January 1, 1925, through August 11, 2025, with English as the search language. Patents were limited to those related to arthroscopy, classified as A61 sector, which covers medicine, veterinary medicine, and hygiene. There were no restrictions on publication date, jurisdiction, or document type. The initial search extracted overall information on patents in the field of arthroscopy and then further searched for 2 potential subtechnologies in the field of arthroscopy: digital enhanced precision surgery and robotic surgery. The annual patent increment was used in the S-curve Logistic model/Fisher-Pry model to explore the current stage of the technology life cycle. Simultaneously, the relative growth rate and relative development growth rate were combined to assess the growth trend in the patent field. The remaining information about the patent, such as patent title, applicant, inventor, owner, single family, extended family, legal status, and brief claims, was used to visualize and assess the overall state of the arthroscopy-related patent field and its closely related literature. A total of 7193 arthroscopy-related patents were identified on the basis of the search strategy. Patent lifecycle and diffusion modeling indicated that the overall arthroscopy patent field has entered a mature stage, characterized by a high saturation level (L&#x2009;=&#x2009;9073.83), steady diffusion speed (&#x3b2;&#x2009;=&#x2009;0.12), an inflection point around 2020, and a normalized diffusion share P(t)/L of 0.63 in 2025. In contrast, digitally enhanced precision surgery and arthroscopy-related robotic surgery remained in the growth stage. Digitally enhanced precision surgery showed a lower saturation level (L&#x2009;=&#x2009;736.04), a diffusion speed of &#x3b2;&#x2009;=&#x2009;0.10, and a P(t)/L value of 0.38, whereas robotic surgery exhibited a higher diffusion speed (&#x3b2;&#x2009;=&#x2009;0.22) and a P(t)/L ratio of 0.22. Although both subtechnologies had lower relative growth rates than the overall field (relative growth rate&#x2009;<&#x2009;1), their relative development growth rates were higher (relative development growth rate&#x2009;=&#x2009;1.70 and 2.47, respectively), reflecting accelerated recent patent growth. The United States holds the largest share of patents and ranks first among leading applicants, inventors, assignees, and agents. Most studies closely related to patents are mainly published in arthroscopy journals. The patent landscape in the field of arthroscopy has become relatively mature and is shifting toward digitally enhanced precision surgery. Based on available patent data, arthroscopy-related surgical robotic technologies emerge as an important area of future technological development. Patent analysis provides a new perspective for understanding the historical development of and trends in arthroscopy, facilitating predictions about the future direction of arthroscopic technologies. This approach enables clinicians to establish clear learning objectives and focus areas earlier in their training. Furthermore, by examining the literature, clinicians can gain more comprehensive insights into the characteristics of arthroscopic products, which may contribute to surgical technique refinement and optimization.