Does labral repair have a clinical benefit during arthroscopic treatment of femoro-acetabular impingement? Prospective multicentre study with 2-year follow-up.

Introduction: Hip arthroscopy has emerged as an effective tool for treating labral tears associated with femoro-acetabular impingement (FAI).

Objective: Compare the effectiveness of debridement versus labral repair on functional outcomes at 2 years after hip arthroscopy and evaluate the influence of the repair technique.

Hypothesis: There is no statistical difference in short-term functional outcomes between debridement and repair. The type of repair technique has no influence on functional outcomes.

Methods: From July 2017 to June 2018, a prospective study was done at 10 participating hospitals specialised in hip preservation surgery. Patients over 18 years of age, who underwent hip arthroscopy for a labral tear due to femoro-acetabular impingement, were enrolled. Patients underwent either labral repair or debridement. The labral repairs were performed with either the loop or mattress technique and functional outcomes were evaluated using the Non-Arthritic Hip Score (NAHS).

Results: One hundred and eighty-seven patients who underwent arthroscopic treatment for FAI were enrolled; 42 (22.5%) underwent labral debridement and 145 (77.5%) underwent labral repair. In the repair group, 66 (46%) were mattress sutures and 79 (54%) were loop sutures. Mean patient age was 33.3±10.3 (18-63) and 38% of patients were women (n=71). Mean follow-up was 16.2 months (10-26.4). The mean NAHS improved from 47.3 to 72.8 (p<0.05) at final follow-up. There was no significant difference between the repair and debridement groups (p>0.05). There was no significant difference between the mattress and loop repair subgroups (p>0.05).

Conclusions: There is no statistical difference in short-term functional outcomes between debridement and repair. The type of repair technique has no influence on functional outcomes.

Level Of Evidence: II, prospective cohort study.