Abstract
Objective To evaluate the functional outcomes of patients diagnosed with femoroacetabular impingement
(FAI) older than 60 years, compared with those of patients of age 40 years or younger.
Methods This was a retrospective review of patients with FAI who underwent hip arthroscopy
between 2010 and 2015. The patients were adults aged over 60 years with Tönnis ≤ 1
matched in a 1:1 ratio with adults aged 40 years or younger, according to the type
of deformity (cam, pincer, or mixed), sex, and the date when the surgery was performed.
Results Thirty-four patients were included in each group. The mean age was 30.6 ± 6.9 years
and 65.6 ± 4.6 years in the control and case groups, respectively. There were no significant
differences between the groups at 1-year follow-up (p > 0.05). In the group with older patients (case group), we observed a change in the
total Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) score
from 46.3 to 22.0 in the 1st postoperative year, while the control cases improved in the WOMAC score from 38.1
to 7.2 in relation to the preoperative stage.
Conclusion In the group of patients ≤ 40 years old, a considerable change was observed in the
WOMAC score without a statistical significance compared with the > 60 years group.
This observation suggests that hip arthroscopy is beneficial when there is an appropriate
selection of patients with FAI, regardless the age of the patient.
Keywords hip - arthroscopy - femoroacetabular impingement
