Return to Sport Rates and Functional Outcomes Following Bilateral Hip Arthroscopy in High-Level Athletes

OBJECTIVES: To determine the rate of return to sport (RTS) in high-level athletes undergoing bilateral hip arthroscopy and report minimum 1-year patient-reported outcomes (PROs) for this cohort. We hypothesized that RTS rates, as well as sport-specific PROs, will be lower than the rates and scores previously reported in the literature for unilateral hip arthroscopy. METHODS: Data were prospectively collected on all patients undergoing hip arthroscopy at our institution from November 2011 to July 2018. Patients were included if they underwent bilateral hip arthroscopy and were either a high school, collegiate, or professional athlete prior to their first surgery. RTS was defined as a patient’s return to competitive participation in their respective sport. Additional PROs, including modified Harris Hip Score (mHHS), nonarthritic hip score (NAHS), and Hip Outcome Score-Sports Specific Subscale (HOS-SSS), as well as complication rates and future surgeries were documented and compared for all patients. RESULTS: A total of 87 patients met inclusion criteria, for which follow-up was available for 82 (94.3%). At latest follow-up, 44 (53.7%) patients returned to sport. Of patients returning, 56% did so at the same level or higher. The most common reasons for not returning to sport were due to graduation/lifestyle change (47.4%) and hip symptoms (44.7%). Patients returning to sport had significantly higher PROs at latest follow-up relative to those who did not return, including for mHHS (93.7 vs. 87.5), NAHS (94.4 vs. 88.2), HOS-SSS (90.9 vs. 78.2) (P < 0.05). Rates of achieving PASS and MCID for mHHS were not significantly different. However, for HOS-SSS, patients who returned had significantly higher rates of achieving the MCID and PASS. CONCLUSION: Rates of RTS after bilateral hip arthroscopy are lower than those after unilateral hip arthroscopy. When comparing patients that returned to sports and those who did not return, we show that although both groups show a significant improvement in PROs following surgery, those that returned to sport achieved significantly higher scores in all outcome measures. In addition, patients returning to sports showed a significantly higher rate of attaining MCID and PASS scores for the HOS-SSS, possibly attesting to the validity of this score and its thresholds.