Focus On Mini-open technique for femoroacetabular impingement

In the last decade femoroacetabular impingement (FAI), defined as a conflict between anterior femoral head-neck junction and anterior acetabular rim, has been proposed as the beginning of early osteoarthritis of the hip and popularised with more than 200 papers published in peer-review journals. This syndrome leads lesions in the labrum and adjacent acetabular cartilage, which could result in degenerative joint disease.1,2 The treatment – femoroacetabular osteochondroplasty (FAO) – of this pathomorphology and its resulting chondrolabral injuries can be basically classified in three different methods3: 1) save dislocation with full exposure of the hip4; 2) hip arthroscopy5-8; and 3) arthroscopically assisted anterior mini-open technique.9-17 The anterior mini-open approach is an intermuscular and internervous procedure. It is safe and reliable, and allows the preservation of tissues in order to minimise insult and provide the fastest post-operative management – similar to purely arthroscopic treatment.9,11,12,15,17 In addition, the anterior mini-open approach can be used in greater or lesser extension in order to treat different pathologies of the hip. The first documented publication and technical description of this approach can be attributed to Carl Hueter.18