Editorial Commentary: The Severity of Femoral and Acetabular Articular Cartilage Defects Is Inversely Proportional to Mid- and Long-Term Success of Hip Arthroscopy.

Abstract

The health of the articular cartilage is an important determinant of success with hip arthroscopy. Recent research has shown that articular cartilage damage on both the acetabular and femoral sides of the hip joint places patients at higher risk of failure after primary hip arthroscopy, leading to the need for revision arthroscopy or total hip arthroplasty. This risk appears to increase with the degree of cartilage damage and manifests at the mid- and long-term follow-up points. Future studies may use this conclusion as a justification to characterize chondral defects in greater detail, reporting on defect size and location, in addition to grade.