Cartilage Injuries of the Hip

The standardization of operative techniques (ie, portal placement, patient positioning) and integration of arthrosocopy of the central and peripheral compartments made hip arthroscopy more popular and expanded its applications during years past. The main indications for arthroscopy of the hip 10 years ago were diagnostic arthroscopy and debriding procedures, such as removal of loose bodies, cartilage debridements, labrum resection, or synovectomies. Recent advances in the field have expanded the indications to include reconstructive procedures of the acetabular labrum, recontouring of the head-neck junction for femoroacetabular impingement syndrome, and cartilage procedures, such as abrasion arthroplasty or the microfracture technique. This article will describe cartilage injuries of the hip and explains how hip arthroscopy ties into the treatment algorithm of degenerative disease of the hip joint.