Editorial Commentary: Predictive Nomograms for Hip Chondral Lesions: A Poor Man's Magnetic Resonance Imaging?

Abstract

As the use of hip arthroscopy continues to increase, there is a greater need to identify prognostic factors to aid in patient selection, presurgical planning, and the management of postoperative patient expectations. These prognostic factors may then be used to aid in the development of predictive clinical tools that could help identify the presence of chondral pathology. These tools may provide an advantage over magnetic resonance imaging, which has previously been shown to have limited sensitivity in the detection of chondral injuries in the hip. If proven accurate, these nomogram tools may limit the future role of magnetic resonance imaging in the evaluation of hip pain. Future efforts should focus on validating these tools and on evaluating whether they are capable of changing clinical treatment algorithms.