Arthroscopic Central Acetabular Decompression: Clinical Outcomes at Minimum 2-Year Follow-up Using a Matched-Pair Analysis
Authors: Lodhia P, Gui C, Martin TJ, Chandrasekaran S, Suarez-Ahedo C, Walsh JP, Domb BG
DOI: 10.1016/j.arthro.2016.04.015
Purpose
To evaluate outcomes of central acetabular decompression (CAD) during arthroscopy compared with controls.
Methods
Matched-pair analysis of 49 CAD hips vs. 147 controls over ≥2 years. Outcomes included function, pain, and satisfaction.
Key Findings
- Both groups showed significant and comparable improvements.
- CAD was not associated with increased complications or inferior outcomes.
Conclusions
CAD is a safe adjunct procedure for treating central acetabular osteophytes with outcomes equivalent to standard arthroscopy.
What Does This Mean for Providers?
- Consider CAD for patients with central osteophytes to optimize joint clearance and reduce impingement risk.
- Surgical planning should identify central lesions on imaging to avoid missing an important contributor to FAI symptoms.