Arthroscopic Correction of Femoroacetabular Impingement for Concomitant Inguinal Disruption in Athletes With Dual Pathology
Authors: Carton Patrick , Filan David 
Published: April 2021

Background:

Inguinal disruption and femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) are well-recognized sources of groin pain in athletes; however, the relationship between inguinal disruption and FAI remains unclear. In cases of dual pathology, where both entities coexist, there is no definitive consensus regarding which pathology should be prioritized for treatment in the first instance.

Purpose:

(1) To examine the 2-year effectiveness and clinical outcome in athletes presenting with dual pathology in which the FAI component alone was treated with arthroscopic deformity correction. (2) To compare 2-year patient-reported outcome measures between athletes undergoing only hip arthroscopy (HA) and athletes undergoing groin repair and HA.

Study Design:

Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

All patients undergoing HA for the treatment of FAI with concomitant clinical signs of inguinal disruption at initial consultation were between 2010 and 2016 were included in this study. Inclusion criteria were male sex, age <40 years, and involvement in competitive sporting activity. Athletes with previous HA on the symptomatic side, Tönnis grade >1, or lateral center-edge angle <25° were excluded. Revision HA or subsequent groin surgery was documented. Outcome evaluation consisted of validated patient-reported outcome measures (modified Harris Hip Score; University of California, Los Angeles Activity Scale; 36-Item Short Form Health Survey; Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index) completed preoperatively and a minimum 2 years postoperatively. The minimal clinically important difference was assessed by using a distribution-based technique (SD, 0.5) and an anchor-based technique (percentage of possible improvement). Level of satisfaction and return to play were assessed.

Results:

A total of 113 cases of dual pathology were included in 91 patients with a mean ± SD age of 26.3 ± 5.1 years. The index surgical procedure was HA for 104 cases (92%) and groin repair for 9 (8%). For patients undergoing HA as the index procedure, 98.1% (102/104 cases) were successfully followed up to establish survivorship. In 89.2% (91/102 cases), no additional groin surgery was required. In 11 cases (10.8%), additional groin surgery was required for persisting inguinal-related groin pain. At 2 years after the operation, there was no difference for any patient-reported outcome measure ( P > .099), improvement from baseline ( P > .070), or proportion of cases achieving the minimal clinically important difference ( P > .120) between the HA-only group and the group undergoing HA and groin repair at any stage. There was also no difference between groups in terms of return-to-play rate ( P = .509) or levels of satisfaction (pain, P = .204; performance, P = .345).

Conclusion:

In patients with dual pathology, treatment of the FAI component alone using arthroscopic hip surgery results in a successful outcome without need for groin repair in 89.2% of cases. No statistical difference in clinical outcome 2 years after surgery was observed between athletes undergoing 1 procedure (HA alone) and those undergoing 2 procedures (HA and groin repair at any stage).