Arthroscopic management of femoroacetabular impingement.

Femoroacetabular impingement is a well-recognized cause of intra-articular pathology and secondary osteoarthritis among young adults. It has been proposed that femoroacetabular impingement that does not require periacetabular osteotomy sometimes can be managed by arthroscopic methods. Clinically relevant impingement is suspected based on the patient history, examination findings, and radiographic features. Pathologic impingement is then substantiated based on the arthroscopic parameters of characteristic intra-articular pathology. Early experience has shown that hip arthroscopy can achieve results that compare favorably to open methods in patients with femoroacetabular impingement.