Arthroscopic Surgery for Femoroacetabular Impingement in Skeletally Immature Athletes: Radiographic and Clinical Analysis

Purpose: To evaluate radiographic and clinical outcomes after arthroscopic femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) correction in symptomatic adolescent athletes with open physes. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed radiographic and clinical outcomes in patients treated with a non-physeal-sparing arthroscopic approach for symptomatic FAI with open physes and a minimum 1-year follow-up. Specific plain radiographic and computed tomography parameters were determined, and preoperative and postoperative outcomes were prospectively evaluated with modified Harris Hip Score (mHHS), 12-Item Veterans-Rand, and pain on a visual analog scale. Results: Thirty-seven hips (28 patients; 75% male) with a mean age of 15.9 years (range, 12.8-18.3 years) had imaging studies consistent with open femoral neck and iliac crest physes. The ischial tuberosity and greater trochanteric physes were open in 95% and 54% of the hips, respectively. All patients participated in organized athletics, and 50% were in multiple sports year-round. Mean follow-up was 39.8 months post–arthroscopic FAI correction. There was a mean 27.7-point improvement in the mHHS (P < .001), a 4.8-point decrease in the visual analog scale for pain (P < .001), and a 15.2-point improvement in the 12-Item Veterans-Rand physical component (P < .001). Ninety-three percent of patients returned to their preinjury level of sports participation without limitations. Thirty (81.1%) patients demonstrated improvements in mHHS greater than the minimally clinically important difference (of mHHS 8 points). Two patients could not reach minimally clinically important difference because of a preoperative mHHS of > 92. There were no postoperative physeal growth arrests, growth disturbances, physeal instability, or avascular necrosis. Conclusions: A non-physeal-sparing arthroscopic approach for FAI in adolescents with open physes is safe and effective with no evidence of clinically relevant complication of growth arrest–related deformity or physeal instability in patients with a minimum of 1 year (mean, 39.8 months) of follow-up after surgery. Young, highly athletic adolescent patients with larger FAI deformities demonstrated greater outcomes improvement after arthroscopy. Level of Evidence: Level IV, therapeutic case series.