Is There a Role for Hip Arthroscopy in Patients With Femoral Head Fractures?

Overview

Femoral head fractures, often caused by high-energy trauma, pose significant challenges due to complications like avascular necrosis, post-traumatic osteoarthritis, and sciatic nerve damage. While traditionally treated with open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) or total hip replacement (THR), hip arthroscopy has emerged as a minimally invasive alternative that reduces surgical trauma, offers direct fracture visualization and manipulation, and may result in shorter recovery times and fewer complications.

Femoral head fractures are uncommon but serious injuries often happen because of high-energy trauma, such as traffic accidents or falls from heights. These fractures can result in complications such as avascular necrosis (if associated with hip dislocations), post-traumatic osteoarthritis, heterotopic ossification, and sciatic nerve damage. The management of femoral head fractures is challenging and depends on several variables, such as the fracture pattern, the degree of displacement, the existence of associated injuries, and the patient's age and physical activity. Traditionally, open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) or total hip replacement (THR) have been the treatment of femoral head fractures, depending on the extent of the damage and the patient's expectations. However, these procedures have some drawbacks, such as increased blood loss, infection risk, surgical trauma, and implant-related complications. Furthermore, THR might not be appropriate for young, active patients who wish to maintain their natural hip joint, whereas ORIF might not be able to adequately reduce and fixate the fracture fragments, particularly in situations of comminution or impaction. Nevertheless, hip arthroscopy has surfaced as a minimally invasive alternative for the treatment of selected femoral head fractures. Arthroscopy could be useful in femoral head fractures as it minimizes surgical aggression, in contrast to surgical hip dislocation applied in ORIF, allowing for direct control of fracture reduction, minimizing surgical morbidity, and optimizing early recovery. Hip arthroscopy allows for direct visualization and manipulation of the fracture fragments, as well as the removal of loose bodies and debris from the joint. Hip arthroscopy can also be combined with percutaneous fixation techniques to stabilize the fracture and restore joint congruence. When compared to open surgery, hip arthroscopy may offer several benefits, including shorter recovery times, less discomfort, less blood loss, and better cosmetic results. Arthroscopic-assisted percutaneous fixation has been reported as an effective treatment in selected cases of femoral head fractures.