Hip Surgery: How Alignment Affects Long-Term Results

When it comes to hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (FAIS), doctors often talk about how the shape of the hip joint can affect outcomes. While there's a lot of focus on how the hip socket (acetabular version) and thigh bone (femoral version) are positioned, less is known about what happens when these two are out of whack together, a condition known as combined version (CV) abnormalities. Researchers decided to delve into this mystery, looking at how CV abnormalities stack up compared to individual version issues. They found that patients with both AV and FV problems had a higher chance of not being happy with their surgery results two years later. This highlights the importance of considering both parts of the hip joint when planning surgery. It's also worth noting that patients with normal AV and FV still had a good chance of positive outcomes. This suggests that while version abnormalities can play a role, they're not the only factors at play in how well a patient does after surgery. The study also revealed that the extent of version abnormalities mattered. The more severe the misalignment, the worse the outcomes tended to be. This indicates that surgeons should pay close attention to the degree of abnormality when treating patients with FAIS. In the end, this study underscores the need for a more comprehensive approach to treating FAIS. Instead of just focusing on one part of the hip, doctors should consider the whole picture to give patients the best chance at a successful recovery.