The use of hip arthroscopy and the incidence of conversion to total arthroplasty: a population-based analysis

In a recent study published in the American journal “Arthroscopy”, an attempt was made to use data from the general population in order to assess the rate at which total hip arthroplasty is performed, within two years, after hip arthroscopy, and to assess the effect of age, arthritis and obesity on the performance of that operation.
Databases from the American states of California and Florida, covering 2005 to 2012, were used. Patients who had undergone hip arthroscopy were followed up for subsequent primary total hip arthroplasty within the first two years. Patients from outside these states and those with less than two years of follow-up were excluded. A multivariable analysis was carried out, which identified the risks of subsequent total hip arthroplasty after arthroscopy.
7,351 patients who had undergone hip arthroscopy with two years of follow-up were identified. The mean age of the patients was 43.9 ± 13.7 years, and 58.8% of them were women. Overall, 11.7% underwent total hip arthroplasty within the two years. This rate was lower in patients younger than 40 years and higher in patients aged 60 to 69 years. An increased risk of total hip arthroplasty was also found in older patients and in patients with osteoarthritis or obesity at the time of the hip arthroscopy. Patients treated at centres with a high volume of hip arthroscopies had a lower rate of conversion to total arthroplasty than those treated at low-volume centres.
The authors concluded that hip arthroscopy is performed in patients of various ages, including middle-aged and also elderly patients. Elderly patients have a higher rate of conversion of the operation to total arthroplasty, and the same is true of patients with osteoarthritis or obesity.
Source: Arthroscopy, The Journal Of Arthroscopic And Related Surgery, April 2016