Survivorship and outcomes 10 years after hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement: partial resection of the labrum compared with repair

It is widely recognised that hip arthroscopy gives excellent results in patients with chronic pain due to femoroacetabular impingement and a tear of the acetabular labrum. Few studies have been published, however, on the long-term results after arthroscopy, or any comparing the outcome between partial resection and repair of the labrum.
A recent article published a study reporting the ten-year results and the survivorship of the hip after arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement, and also comparing the outcomes between partial resection and correction-repair of the acetabular labrum.
A retrospective analysis was made of prospectively collected data in patients with a minimum follow-up of 10 years after hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement and a tear of the acetabular labrum. The main outcome score for the patients was the Hip Outcome Score. Statistical tests were used in order to compare the results and to analyse the survivorship of the patients’ hips.
The study included 79 patients who underwent surgical repair of the labrum and 75 who underwent partial resection of it. 50 patients underwent total hip arthroplasty 10 years after the arthroscopy. Older patients, hips with a joint space of less than 2mm preoperatively, and patients in whom microfracture of the acetabulum was required were more likely to undergo total hip arthroplasty.
The authors concluded that hip arthroscopy, whether with partial resection of the labrum or with repair of it, resulted in significant improvement in the patient-reported outcomes and in the satisfaction of the patients who did not ultimately undergo total hip arthroplasty. Higher rates of conversion to total hip arthroplasty were seen in older patients, in those who underwent microfracture of the acetabulum and in patients with joint spaces of less than 2mm preoperatively. In addition, the study showed no difference in outcomes between the patients who underwent partial resection and those who underwent repair of the acetabular labrum.
Source: Menge TJ, Briggs KK, Dornan GJ, McNamara SC, Philippon MJ. Survivorship and Outcomes 10 Years Following Hip Arthroscopy for Femoroacetabular Impingement: Labral Debridement Compared with Labral Repair. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2017 Jun 21;99(12):997-1004.