Indications, Surgical Technique, and Findings of Hip Arthroscopy in Pediatric Hip Disease (Arthroscopy of the Pediatric Hip)

Pediatric hip disease is an important cause of morbidity during childhood and may lead to early degenerative joint disease in young adults. Open surgical treatment of conditions like development hip dysplasia, Legg-Calve-Perthes, and proximal-slipped femoral epiphysis is often indicated in childhood. Mild cases of pediatric hip disease that are not surgically treated at an early age can develop symptoms that are related to cartilage lesions or labral and ligamentum teres pathology, which are conditions that can be managed arthroscopically with good results. Intra-articular lesions in the hip may also be secondary to open surgical procedures at a young age (acetabular or femoral osteotomies) or intra-articular lesions left untreated at the index procedure; these cases can also be managed arthroscopically. The technique for hip arthroscopy in the presence of deformity of the bony architecture of the hip and illustrative case examples are presented.