Minimally Invasive Hip Surgery Not Always Best

Minimally Invasive Hip Surgery Not Always Best

One-third of older patients may need hip replacement within 2 years, study suggests

WebMD News from HealthDay

By Chuck Green

HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, June 3, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Minimally invasive hip surgery may not always be the best option to relieve serious, ongoing hip pain, a new study suggests.

Researchers found that more than one-third of people in their 60s who had the minimally invasive procedure -- known as hip arthroscopy -- ended up needing a hip replacement within two years.

Hip arthroscopy relies on small incisions around the hip to allow for the insertion of a tiny camera, as well as surgical tools, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS).

Hip arthroscopy can be used to treat a number of painful conditions, the AAOS says.

For example, the procedure can be used to repair torn cartilage or remove extra bone that occurs in the very earliest stages of osteoarthritis, explained Dr. Stuart Weinstein.

"Hip arthroscopy has been an amazing development and has helped many patients with hip disorders," said Weinstein, chair and professor of orthopaedic surgery at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. He wasn't part of the current study team.

The use of hip arthroscopy has skyrocketed. Between 2006 and 2010, the estimated use of this surgical procedure increased by 600 percent, the study authors said.

For the study, Dr. William Schairer, who's with the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, and colleagues reviewed information from two surgical databases. One was in California, the other was in Florida. The investigators found more than 7,300 patients who'd had hip arthroscopy and had at least two years of medical follow-up.

The mean age of the patients was 44. And about 60 percent of the group was female, according to the report.

Overall, 12 percent had hip replacement surgery within two years of having a hip arthroscopy, the findings showed.

People who had hip arthroscopy in hospitals that performed a high volume of those procedures were less likely to need a hip replacement within two years, the study authors said.

The researchers also found other risk factors that increased the odds of needing a hip replacement. These included older age (over 60), obesity, or arthritis related to wear and tear of the joint (osteoarthritis). Rates of hip replacement were lowest in people under 40, the study found.

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