Factors associated with the failure of arthroscopic surgery treatment in patients with femoroacetabular impingement: A cohort study.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of the anatomical and functional characteristics with therapeutic failure in patients with femoroacetabular impingement, who underwent hip arthroscopy. MATERIALS AND METHODS A cohort study was performed on 179 patients with femoroacetabular impingement who underwent hip arthroscopy between 2004 and 2012. The demographic, anatomical, functional, and clinical information were recorded. A logistic regression model and ANCOVA were used in order to compare the described characteristics with the treatment outcomes of the hip arthroscopy. RESULTS The median time of follow-up for symptoms was 13 months (8-30), and the mean time of follow-up after surgery was 23.83 ± 9.8 months. At the end of the follow-up 3.91% of the patients were considered as a therapeutic failure. The WOMAC score in pain and functional branches, as well as the total WOMAC score, showed significant differences (P<.05). The mean WOMAC score was higher (0 to 100 with 0 being a perfect score) in the group of patients who failed after surgery as compared with the group who meet the requirements for a successful treatment, 65.9 vs 48.8, respectively (mean difference 17.0; 95% CI; 1.3-32.6; P=.033). CONCLUSION The poor functional state prior to arthroscopic treatment of femoroacetabular impingement, mainly due to preoperative pain, assessed using the WOMAC scale, is associated with a higher therapeutic failure rate.