Femoral Neck Fracture After Arthroscopic Femoroplasty of the Hip.

Hip arthroscopy is an increasingly common procedure, particularly for the treatment of femoroacetabular impingement. Various complications have been previously reported, and the authors sought to further evaluate the safety of this procedure. This study was conducted to identify the incidence of femoral neck fracture as well as treatment and outcomes after arthroscopic femoroplasty. In April 2013, a survey was administered to 28 established hip arthroscopists regarding the breadth of their experience, including the total number of hip arthroscopies and proximal femoroplasties performed and the number of postoperative femoral neck fractures. Fracture type, patient age, patient sex, time to fracture, comorbidities, treatments, and outcomes were queried. The study identified 27,200 total arthroscopies and 14,945 proximal femoroplasties performed by the surgeons, with 11 postoperative proximal femur fractures. The incidence of proximal femur fracture after arthroscopic femoroplasty was 0.07%, based on combined data of high-volume hip arthroscopists at multiple medical centers. Mean time to fracture after arthroscopic femoroplasty was 40.5 (±26.6) days postoperatively. The male-to-female ratio was approximately 1:3 for those with fracture, and mean patient age was 52 (±13) years. More than half of the fractures were caused by violation of weight-bearing precautions. All patients had improvement in symptoms after treatment. Femoral neck fracture after arthroscopic femoroplasty is a rare complication for established hip arthroscopists. It is most common in women and patients older than 50 years. Treatment is based on the severity of the fracture, and patients have improved outcomes after treatment.