Arthroscopic treatment of labral tears in patients over 60 years of age

A recent study published in the Arthroscopy Journal set out to assess the clinical outcome in a series of patients over 60 years of age who underwent hip arthroscopy for tears of the labrum with a minimum follow-up of two years, and to identify the risk factors that lead more quickly to total hip arthroplasty.
Data were collected prospectively and retrospectively from patients over 60 years of age who underwent hip arthroscopy between April 2008 and May 2012. Data on pain and function were recorded using four different outcome scores, together with the rates of conversion to total hip arthroplasty.
The authors concluded that arthroscopic treatment of labral tears in patients over 60 years of age should be approached with caution. Patients in this age group have a two-year survival of the order of 70% and should be informed in detail before surgery of the possibility that they may need a total hip arthroplasty in the near future. patients over 60 years of age with severe pain and radiographic evidence of dysplasia and severe chondral lesions may not be suitable candidates for hip arthroscopy.