Arthroscopic Treatment of Labral Tears in Patients 65 Years and Older

The purpose of this multicenter study was to investigate the clinical outcomes after hip arthroscopy in a series of patients 65 years and older with labral tears with a minimum 2-year follow-up. Outcome data were prospectively collected and retrospectively reviewed for patients 65 years and older who underwent hip arthroscopy. Outcomes at minimum 2-year follow-up were analyzed using prospectively collected Hip Outcome Score (HOS) and modified Harris Hip Score (mHHS). A paired Student’s t test was performed to determine significant differences between pre- and postoperative patient-reported outcome scores. Twenty-six patients were included, with a mean age of 67.7 years (range, 65-75 years) and mean follow-up of 50.5 months. The short-term survivorship rate was 65%, with 9 patients requiring total hip arthroplasty (THA) by latest follow-up. At minimum 2-year follow-up, mean mHHS, HOS–Activities of Daily Living, and HOS–Sports-Specific Subscale for surviving hips were 78.97 (range, 25-100), 78.56 (range, 21.7-100), and 65.93 (range, 2.78-100), respectively. The mean improvements for patients with pre- and postoperative mHHS and HOS–Sports-Specific Subscale were 28 and 36.6 (P=.0005 and P=.003, respectively). The average patient satisfaction was 7.7 on a scale of 10. There were no complications noted in this cohort. This study demonstrated that patients older than 65 years with labral pathology who have failed nonoperative measures obtain modest clinical improvement from hip arthroscopy. This clinical improvement yielded a high patient satisfaction, but due to the potential for subsequent THA in a subset of this population, surgeons should use a rigorous selection criteria and counsel patients appropriately.