Current concepts in revision hip arthroscopy

Abstract

Hip arthroscopy is an evolving procedure and its indications have expanded. The number of patients undergoing this procedure has increased significantly as well as the number of surgeons being trained. This has resulted in a notable increase in post-operative complication rates creating the need to develop advanced hip arthroscopic techniques. Revision hip arthroscopy is often complex and many factors should be considered to achieve a satisfactory clinical outcome. Careful pre-operative planning and agreement of expectations between the physician and patient regarding the procedure are important. This review describes several advanced treatment options that are used mainly in revision or complex primary hip arthroscopy cases. Labral reconstruction or augmentation technique is used in cases of severely deficient acetabular labral tissue to restore the fluid seal mechanism. In cases of symptomatic (often post-operative) adhesion formation, a spacer between the labrum and the joint capsule is useful for pain relief and prevention of future adhesions. Large defects of the capsule due to previous unrepaired capsulotomy or any other cause can be addressed with the capsular reconstruction technique. Ligamentum teres reconstruction using an anterior tibialis allograft is indicated in patients with hip instability and persistent pain after previous debridement or with complete tears of this structure. The senior author’s treatment of choice in cases of previous over-resection of CAM impingement is the remplissage technique to restore the bony defect of the femoral head-neck junction and preserve the joint seal.