Hip arthroscopy: patient assessment and indications.

Hip arthroscopy is often performed for disorders that in the past have gone unrecognized and untreated. The arthroscope has helped in the understanding of the nature of numerous intra-articular lesions, subsequently leading to improved assessment skills for these often elusive disorders, including interpretation of the history, examination findings, and technical advances in imaging studies. The indications for this procedure have been well defined but continue to evolve. Successful results from arthroscopy are most clearly linked to indications and proper patient selection.