Aim. The current literature indicates that hip arthroscopy is safe in both adolescents and adults with good early outcomes but there are no available studies that directly compare the outcomes of this procedure for mixed indications between these two groups. Method. This was a prospective cohort study of 102 consecutive supine hip arthroscopies in 96 patients (48 adolescent (<18) hips, mean age 13.9 years and 54 adult (>18 hips), mean age 33.8 years) at a tertiary referral paediatric and adult university hospital followed-up for a minimum of two years. Patient demographics, indications for surgery, Modified Harris Hip (MHHS) and Non-Arthritic Hip (NAHS) scores, operative interventions and complications were recorded. Results. At two-year follow-up, the MHHS improved from a mean of 55.3 to 87.5 (p<0.05) in the adolescent group and from 58.7 to 86.9 (p<0.05) in the adult group while the NAHS improved from 57.1 to 86.7 (p<0.05) in the adolescent group and from 61.4 to 87.4 (p<0.05) in the adult group. There was no statistical significance difference in outcome between the two groups at 2 years. With respect to complications, there were 2 cases of transient lateral femoral cutaneous nerve palsy (1 adolescent and 1 adult) that resolved spontaneously. There were 3 transient pudendal nerve palsies that resolved spontaneously in the adolescent group by 4 weeks. There was no difference in mean operative traction time in both groups (47.6 minutes in adolescents versus 48.3 minutes in adults; p<0.05). No cases of proximal femoral physeal growth disturbance or osteonecrosis were seen at final follow-up. Conclusion. This study confirms that hip arthroscopy for mixed indications leads to good early outcomes with low complication rates in adolescent and adult patients. The incidence of pudendal nerve palsy in the adolescent group is however noted and is of concern

Controversy remains whether the contralateral hip should be fixed in patients presenting with unilateral slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE). This retrospective study compares the outcomes and cost of those patients who had prophylactic fixation with those who did not.

Between January 2000 and December 2010 a total of 50 patients underwent unilateral fixation and 36 had prophylactic fixation of the contralateral hip. There were 54 males and 32 females with a mean age of 12.3 years (9 to 16). The rate of a subsequent slip without prophylactic fixation was 46%. The risk of complications was greater, the generic health measures (Short Form-12 physical (p < 0.001) and mental (p = 0.004) summary scores) were worse. Radiographic cam lesions in patients presenting with unilateral SCFE were only seen in patients who did not have prophylactic fixation. Furthermore, prophylactic fixation of the contralateral hip was found to be a cost-effective procedure, with a cost per quality adjusted life year gained of £1431 at the time of last follow-up.

Prophylactic fixation of the contralateral hip is a cost-effective operation that limits the morbidity from the complications of a further slip, and the diminished functional outcome associated with unilateral fixation.

Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2015;97-B:1428–34.