Hip arthroscopy: Recent progress and future directions

The earliest mention of arthroscopic surgery on the hip joint was in a 1931 publication by Burman, a cadaver study in which he utilized arthroscopic techniques to examine interior of the joints of the human body. However, at the time, he stated that it was impossible to insert a needle between the head of the femur and the acetabulum [1]. This sentiment limited the use of hip arthroscopy to the peripheral compartment and significantly slowed its growth in popularity. In North America, it was essentially rediscovered in 1977 when Gross reported on usage of hip arthroscopy to treat congenically dislocated hips [2]. Then, in 1986, Eriksson published an overview of hip arthroscopy in which he concluded that it was possible to remove loose bodies from the joint and perform a partial synovectomy with an arthroscopic shaver, and that arthroscopy enabled shorter hospitalizations and rehabilitation [3]. In the 10 years following this publication, the use of and research done with hip arthroscopy expanded. Today, it has become the treatment modality of choice to address most intra-articular pathologies, such as FAI, labral tears, chondral injuries, capsular laxity, avascular necrosis and synovial chondromatosis, to name a few.