FEMOROACETABULAR IMPINGEMENT SYNDROME: CLINICAL OUTCOMES AND COMPLICATIONS OF THE ARTHROSCOPIC-ASSISTED MINI-OPEN SURGERY AT MID-TERM FOLLOW-UP

A. Russo¹ , A. Clemente¹ , A. Masotti² , A. Battini³ , A. Massè² , A. Nicodemo¹

¹ Humanitas Torino, Turin, Italy
² Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
³ Azienda Ospedaliera di Alessandria, Alessandria, Italy

Correspondence to:

Journal of Orthopedics 2024 May-August; 16(2): 67-73
https://doi.org/10.69149/orthopedics/2024v16iss2_3

Received: 23 May 2024 Accepted: 27 June 2024

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Abstract

Femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (FAI) is a painful condition derived from a complex of anatomical patterns involving the femoral neck-head junction and acetabulum. It is a well-established cause of early degenerative disease of the hip, and a prompt diagnosis is crucial to implement modifications of activities, physical therapy, and eventually to correct the deformity through surgery. The aim of this study was to report clinical-functional and radiographic outcomes of patients who underwent femoroacetabular impingement correction with a mini-open arthroscopic assisted direct anterior approach. A retrospective analysis of a prospectively collected database of patients operated for femoroacetabular impingement in a single center from 2012 to 2019 was performed. Harris Hip Score, the degree of hip internal rotation, and radiographic alpha angle were measured pre-operatively and compared to values registered at the latest follow-up. Operative times and intra-operative times of exposure to X-rays were also recorded. A total of 69 procedures on 64 patients were included. Of these, 46 were males (71.9%). The mean age was 34.4±6.6 years. The mean follow-up was 75.7±24.4 months. Mean values of Harris Hip Score, internal rotation of the hip, and alpha angle at the latest follow-up significantly improved from those registered preoperatively (p<0.01). Operative time significantly decreased after the first 34 procedures (p<0.01). One patient (1.4%) required conversion to total hip arthroplasty after 5 years of the index procedure. The arthroscopic-assisted mini-open technique showed good clinical outcomes with a low rate of complications and can be a reliable choice to treat FAI. This strategy may represent a suitable alternative to arthroscopy due to its low operating times, costs, short learning curve, and reduced total time of traction and X-ray exposure.

Keywords: acetabular rim, FAI, femoral head-neck junction, femoroacetabular impingement syndrome