Femoroacetabular impingement: current clinical evidence.

Overview

Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) is a recognized cause of hip pain in adolescents and is an etiologic factor in progressive hip osteoarthritis (OA). Optimum care includes early and accurate diagnosis to impede cartilage delamination and progression to OA. Here, we present the current perspectives and spectrum of data pertaining to the association of hip deformity and OA. Management of FAI is reviewed, and the need for efficacy studies is underscored. Further, this paper considers existing (short-term to mid-term) study results and highlights the importance of strengthening data quality and developing a standardized method of reporting outcomes data in surgical treatment for FAI. For the purposes of illustration, outcomes of surgical dislocation of the hip and arthroscopic technique are taken into account; results of surgical management of FAI in athletes are also explored. Through numerous examples from the literature, we demonstrate that current outcome studies of surgical correction for FAI are variable in their description and measurement of disease characteristics, type of surgical procedure, and documentation of complications. A standardized method of data collection and reporting is a fundamental step toward understanding the effects of surgical intervention on the natural history of FAI. Together with a future diagnostic standard and long-term study data, we will be better equipped to provide first-rate operative care for this population of patients.