Hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement: results of 118 consecutive cases in a district general hospital.

Abstract

Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) is an increasingly recognised cause of hip symptoms in the young active adult and can lead to labral tears and chondral damage. FAI can be treated with open surgery or arthroscopically: aiming to stabilise labral tears and remove bony impingement. We report the results of a single surgeon series of arthroscopic labral debridement and cam resection in 118 consecutive cases during a two-year period, with a minimum follow-up of one year. Quantitative assessment was undertaken using the Non-Arthritic Hip Score (NAHS) calculated preoperatively and at two, four and 12 months postoperatively. Mean NAHS in all patient groups at two and four months, and at one year showed improvement (p<0.05). These results compare favourably with previous patients treated with open osteochondroplasty by the same surgeon, as well as with the published results from other larger centres. The faster improvement and the shorter hospital stay and lower morbidity make arthroscopic surgery for FAI a favourable option, and a feasible treatment modality in the non-specialist setting.