Ultrasonography-guided intra-articular steroid injection in the hip for symptomatic round ligament partial tear or degeneration

PURPOSE: The objectives of this study were to demonstrate the benefits of ultrasonography-guided intra-articular steroid injection in the hip (UISIH) for the treatment of partial tear or degeneration of the round ligament of the femur and to determine the prognostic factors for this treatment. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the records of 40 patients who were diagnosed with a partial tear or degeneration of the round ligament of the femur and who underwent UISIH between August 2014 and November 2018. The inclusion criteria were a lack of history of UISIH or other interventional procedure and the presence of follow-up records after the hip injection. The short-term clinical outcome was evaluated at the first follow-up appointment after UISIH. Possible prognostic factors for UISIH such as age, sex, injection side, and average follow-up time were analyzed using the chi-square test, the Fisher exact test, and the t test. RESULTS: UISIH was found to have been effective in 35 of the 40 patients (87.5%) at the first follow-up visit. The average follow-up time was 43 days. No significant differences were observed in the clinical outcome of UISIH with respect to age, sex, injection side, or follow-up time. CONCLUSION: In this study, we demonstrated that UISIH was a safe and effective treatment in patients with a partial tear or degeneration of the round ligament of the femur over the course of short-term follow-up. Age, sex, injection side, and follow-up time were not identified as prognostic factors for this treatment.