The femoroacetabular impingement syndrome involves, among other things, morphological abnormalities of the femoral neck and of the acetabulum that disturb the normal congruity between the two articular surfaces of the hip. Femoroacetabular impingement causes chronic pain in adolescents and young adults, and many studies have linked it with the long-term development of hip osteoarthritis. However, specific parameters that might ultimately link femoroacetabular impingement with osteoarthritis of the hip have not been clarified, although many studies have addressed the subject.
A new study published in “The American Journal of Sports Medicine”, examining a large number of patients with femoroacetabular impingement, attempts to answer these questions.
The study included 952 patients, the majority of whom had mixed-type radiological lesions of femoroacetabular impingement. The mean age of the patients was 27.6 ± 8.7 years. The mean follow-up was 24.7 ± 12.5 years. The rate of osteoarthritis was 13.5%. In 4% of patients a total hip arthroplasty was performed. Various epidemiological characteristics were studied in this group, as well as radiological parameters.
The authors concluded that after a follow-up of 24.7 years no specific radiological parameters were found to be associated with osteoarthritis. However, a body mass index (BMI) > 29, male sex and increasing age were risk factors for the development of osteoarthritis.
Source: “The American Journal of Sports Medicine”, October 2020