Arthroscopic femoral osteoplasty for cam-type lesions with isolated chondral lesions of the acetabulum

Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, January 2010
This study assesses the outcome of arthroscopic femoral osteoplasty for cam-type femoroacetabular impingement in the absence of additional pathological lesions other than chondral lesions of the acetabulum. The authors retrospectively studied 166 patients (170 hips) who were categorised according to three different grades of chondral lesion. The outcome was assessed using the Harris hip score (MHHS) and the Non-Arthritic Hip Score (NAHS).
Overall, at the latest review (mean duration 22 months, 12 to 72), the mean MHHS improved by 15.3 points and the mean NAHS by 15 points. Better results were observed in hips with lower-grade chondral lesions. The microfracture technique in chondral lesions of limited extent showed superior results.
Arthroscopic femoral osteoplasty for cam-type femoroacetabular impingement with the microfracture technique has beneficial results in selected cases. The outcome correlates with the severity of the chondral lesions of the acetabulum.