Influence of Femoral Version on the Outcomes of Hip Arthroscopic Surgery for Femoroacetabular Impingement or Labral Tears: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Background: It remains controversial whether abnormal femoral version (FV) affects the outcomes of hip arthroscopic surgery for femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) or labral tears.

Purpose: To review the outcomes of hip arthroscopic surgery for FAI or labral tears in patients with normal versus abnormal FV.

Study design: Systematic review; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods: Embase, PubMed, and the Cochrane Library were searched in July 2020 for studies reporting the outcomes after primary hip arthroscopic surgery for FAI or labral tears in patients with femoral retroversion (<5°), femoral anteversion (>20°), or normal FV (5°-20°). The primary outcome was the modified Harris Hip Score (mHHS), and secondary outcomes were the visual analog scale (VAS) for pain, Hip Outcome Score-Sport-Specific Subscale (HOS-SSS), Non-Arthritic Hip Score (NAHS), failure rate, and patient satisfaction. The difference in preoperative and postoperative scores (Δ) was also calculated when applicable.

Results: Included in this review were 5 studies with 822 patients who underwent hip arthroscopic surgery for FAI or labral tears; there were 166 patients with retroversion, 512 patients with normal version, and 144 patients with anteversion. Patients with retroversion and normal version had similar postoperative mHHS scores (mean difference [MD], 2.42 [95% confidence interval (CI), -3.42 to 8.26]; P = .42) and ΔmHHS scores (MD, -0.70 [96% CI, -8.56 to 7.15]; P = .86). Likewise, the patients with anteversion and normal version had similar postoperative mHHS scores (MD, -3.09 [95% CI, -7.66 to 1.48]; P = .18) and ΔmHHS scores (MD, -1.92 [95% CI, -6.18 to 2.34]; P = .38). Regarding secondary outcomes, patients with retroversion and anteversion had similar ΔNAHS scores, ΔHOS-SSS scores, ΔVAS scores, patient satisfaction, and failure rates to those with normal version, although a significant difference was found between the patients with retroversion and normal version regarding postoperative NAHS scores (MD, 5.96 [95% CI, 1.66-10.26]; P = .007) and postoperative HOS-SSS scores (MD, 7.32 [95% CI, 0.19-14.44]; P = .04).

Conclusion: The results of this review indicated that abnormal FV did not significantly influence outcomes after hip arthroscopic surgery for FAI or labral tears.