The primary treatment goal for patients with femoroacetabular impingement syndrome, a common hip condition in athletes, is to improve pain and function. In selected patients, in the short term following intervention, arthroscopic hip surgery is superior to a pragmatic NHS- type physiotherapy programme. Here, we report the three-year follow-up results from the FemoroAcetabular Impingement Trial (FAIT), comparing arthroscopic hip surgery with physiotherapy in the management of patients with femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) syndrome.

Two-group parallel, assessor-blinded, pragmatic randomised controlled study across seven NHS England sites. 222 participants aged 18 to 60 years with FAI syndrome confirmed clinically and radiologically were randomised (1:1) to receive arthroscopic hip surgery (n = 112) or physiotherapy and activity modification (n = 110). We previously reported on the hip outcome score at eight months. The primary outcome measure of this study was minimum Joint Space Width (mJSW) on Anteroposterior Radiograph at 38 months post randomisation. Secondary outcome measures included the Hip Outcome Score and Scoring Hip Osteoarthritis with MRI (SHOMRI) score.

Minimum Joint Space Width data were available for 101 participants (45%) at 38 months post randomisation. Hip outcome score and MRI data were available for 77% and 62% of participants respectively. mJSW was higher in the arthroscopy group (mean (SD) 3.34mm (1.01)) compared to the physiotherapy group (2.99mm (1.33)) at 38 months, p=0.017, however this did not exceed the minimally clinically important difference of 0.48mm. SHOMRI score was significantly lower in the arthroscopy group (mean (SD) 9.22 (11.43)) compared to the physiotherapy group (22.76 (15.26)), p-value <0.001. Hip outcome score was higher in the arthroscopy group (mean (SD) 84.2 (17.4)) compared with the physiotherapy group (74.2 (21.9)), p-value < 0.001).

Patients with FAI syndrome treated surgically may experience slowing of osteoarthritisprogression and superior pain and function compared with patients treated non- operatively.

FAI may cause pain or functional impairment for an individual, as well as potentially resulting in arthritis and degeneration of the hip joint. Results from recent randomised control trials demonstrate the superiority of surgery over physiotherapy in patients with FAI. However, there is paucity of evidence regarding which factors influence outcomes for FAI surgery, most notably on patient reported outcomes measures (PROMs).

Our study looks to explore factors influencing the outcomes for patients undergoing surgery for FAI utilising data from the Non-Arthroplasty Hip Registry.

This study is a retrospective analysis of data collected prospectively via the NAHR database. Patients meeting the inclusion criteria, who underwent surgery between January 2011 and September 2019 were identified and included in the study. Follow-up data was captured in September 2020 to allow a minimum of 12 months follow-up.

Patients consenting to data collection received questionnaires to determine EQ-5D Index and iHOT-12 scores preoperatively and at 6 months, 1, 2- and 5-year follow-up.

Changes in outcome scores were analysed for all patients and sub-analysis was performed looking at the influence of; FAI morphological subtype, age, and sex, on outcome scores.

Our cohort included 4,963 patients who underwent arthroscopic treatment for FAI. There was significant improvement from pre-operative PROMs when compared with those at 6 and 12 months.

Pre-operatively, and at 12-month follow-up, iHOT-12 scores were significantly better for the cam / mixed groups compared to the pincer group (p<0.01).

In multivariable regression analysis, pincer pathology and a high-grade chondral lesion were associated significantly poorer iHOT-12 improvement at 6 and 12 months (p<0.05)

Age (<40 vs >40) demonstrated no statistical significance when considering 12 months outcome scores.

This study demonstrates that hip arthroscopy is an effective treatment for patients with symptomatic FAI and shows statistically significant improvements at 12 months.

The findings of this study are relevant to orthopaedic surgeons who manage young adults with hip pathology. This will help them to; predict which patients may benefit from operative intervention, and better inform patients, when undertaking shared decision making.

Pelvic re-orientation osteotomy is a well-recognised treatment of young adults with developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH).

The most commonly used technique is the periacetabular osteotomy (PAO), however, some surgeons favour a triple osteotomy. These techniques can also be utilised for acetabular retroversion leading to FAI.

Despite the published literature on these techniques, the authors note a scarcity of evidence looking at patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) for these procedures.

This was a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data utilising the UK NAHR. All patients who underwent pelvic osteotomy from January 2012 to November 2019 were identified from the NAHR database. Patients who consented to data collection received EQ-5D index and iHOT-12 questionnaires, with scores being collected pre-operatively and at 6, 12 and 24 months post-operatively.

Nine hundred and eleven (911) patients were identified with twenty-seven (27) undergoing a triple osteotomy, the remaining patients underwent PAO. Mean age was 30.6 (15–56) years and 90% of patients were female. Seventy-nine (79) (8.7%) of patients had the procedure for acetabular retroversion leading to FAI

Statistical analysis, of all patients, showed significant improvement (p<0.001) for; iHOT-12 scores (+28 at 6-months, +33.8 at 12-months and +29.9 at 24-months)

Similarly there was significant improvement (p<0.001) in EQ-5D index (+0.172 at 6-months, +0.187 at 12-months and +0.166 at 24-months)

Pre-operatively, and at each follow-up time-period, raw scores were significantly better in the DDH group compared to the FAI group (p<0.05); however, the improvement in scores was similar for both groups.

For both scoring measures, univariable and multivariable linear regression showed poorer pre-operative scores to be strongly significant predictors of greater post-operative improvement at 6 and 12 months (p<0.0001).

A modular hemiarthroplasty has a Metal-on-Metal (MoM) taper-trunnion junction, which may lead to increased wear and Adverse-Reaction-to-Metal-Debris (ARMD). To-date no wear related issues have been described in the elderly and less active that receives a hemiarthroplasty. This study aims to determine in vivo wear (i.e. serum metal ion levels) in hip hemiarthroplasty, and identify factors associated with increased wear.

This is a prospective, IRB approved, single-centre, cohort study of patients that received an uncemented, modular hemiarthroplasty of proven design for the treatment of hip fracture between 2013–2015. All, alive, patients at 12-months post-implantation with AMTS≥6 were invited to participate. Of the 125 eligible patients, 50 accepted the invitation and were reviewed, including clinical/radiological assessment, metal-ion ([Chromium (Cr) and Cobalt (Co)]) measurement and Oxford Hip Score (OHS). Acetabular erosion was graded (0–3: normal-protrusio). Metal ion levels were considered high if ≥7ppb.

The mean OHS was 37 (SD: 10). No acetabular erosion was detected in 21, whilst the remaining had either grade-1 (n=21) or grade-2 (n=8). The median Cr and Co levels were 2.9 (SD:9) and 2.2 (SD:4) respectively. There were 8 cases (16%) with high ion levels. To-date only 2 of them has an ARMD lesion, and none have been revised. Patients with metal ion levels had similar pre-fall mobility, taper- and head- size and OHS to those with low metal ion levels (p=0.2–0.7) However, all hips with high metal ion levels had evidence of acetabular erosion (≥1).

Modular Hip hemiarthroplasties and their taper-trunnion junction are not immune to high wear and ARMD despite being implanted in a less active cohort. Acetabular erosion should alert clinicians, as it is associated with 20× increased-risk of taper wear, presumably due to the increased transmitted torque. Whether the use of modular hemiarthroplasties should remain is debatable.

Aim

The purpose of our study was to see what the microbiological epidemiology of our discitis biopsy specimens were. In doing this we could identify if biopsy served a strategic and necessary purpose in the management of this potentially serious pathology.