Subspine femoroacetabular impingement: retrospective study of a series of patients treated by hip arthroscopic resection

BACKGROUND: Femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (FAIS) is a common hip pathology that causes pain and functional limitation in young patients. subspine femoroacetabular impingement (SFAI) is an increasingly diagnosed extra-articular subtype that occurs from mechanical conflict of the anteroinferior iliac spine (AIIS) with the cervico-diaphyseal junction during hip flexion, which is poorly described in the literature. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: We aimed to describe the clinical, functional, and radiological results of the arthroscopic treatment of a group of patients with SFAI treated in our Hip Unit. STUDY DESIGN: Case series. METHODS: We present a retrospective study of ten patients with SFAI treated between 2013 and 2020 with arthroscopic resection. Clinical results were assessed with scales such as visual analog scale (VAS); modified Harris Hip Score (mHHS), and Hip disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (HOOS). Radiological results were assessed with radiological measurements, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and computed tomography (CT) reconstructions. RESULTS: Six patients had a Type III AIIS and four of them had Type II. Two patients had previously been surgically treated for FAIS. The range of motion improved in flexion from 107 ± 11 degrees before surgery to 127.5 ± 6 degrees (p = 0.005). MHHS improved from 48.1 (38–75.3) before surgery to 83.1 (57–91) (p = 0.007) and HOOS improved from 65.2 (58–75) to 89 (68.1–100) (p = 0.007). VAS improved from 7.3 (5–9) pre-surgical to 2.5 (0–8) post-surgical (p = 0.005). We did not have significant complications except for an asymptomatic case of heterotopic ossification (Brooker I). CONCLUSION: Arthroscopic decompression of AIIS in SFAI patients is a safe procedure that provides satisfactory short-term functional results, improving clinical symptoms, function, sports performance, and range of motion in our study.