Patients With Concomitant Painful External Snapping Hip and Femoroacetabular Impingement Syndromes Reported Complete Snapping Resolution With Release of the Gluteus Maximus and Iliotibial Band, and Comparable Minimum 2-Year Outcomes to a Propensity-Matched Control Group

Purpose: To report minimum 2-year patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) following primary hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (FAIS) and painful external snapping hip (ESH) treatment and ESH resolution, and to compare these PROMs to a benchmark FAIS propensity-matched control group without ESH.

Methods: Data were prospectively collected and retrospectively reviewed between November 2009 and April 2018. Patients were eligible if they were preoperatively diagnosed with FAIS and painful ESH and received primary hip arthroscopy to address these pathologies. ESH was treated with gluteus maximus and iliotibial band releases. Inclusion criteria were baseline and minimum two-year follow-up scores for the modified Harris Hip Score, Nonarthritic Hip Score, Hip Outcome Score-Sport Specific Subscale, and visual analog scale for pain. Exclusion criteria were Tönnis grade >1 and previous hip conditions. A secondary subanalysis was performed to benchmark these outcomes to a FAIS propensity-matched control group without ESH, according to age, sex, body mass index (BMI), Tönnis grade, and preoperative lateral center-edge and α-angles using a 1:3 ratio. The minimal clinically important difference (MCID) and the maximum outcome improvement (MOI) rates were reported.

Results: Twenty-two hips (21 patients) were included. The mean age, BMI, and follow-up were 31.3 years ± 14.0, 26 kg/m² ± 5.0, and 31.4 months ± 4.4, respectively, with 68.2% being female. ESH was resolved in 100% of patients. Significant improvement for all PROMs at a minimum two-year (P < .001) was reported. The minimum two-year PROMs and the rate of achieving the MCID and MOI threshold were comparable to the control group.

Conclusion: Following primary hip arthroscopy for FAIS and painful ESH, patients demonstrated significant improvement in all PROMs, and the rate of resolution of ESH was 100% at minimum two-year follow-up: with gluteus maximus and iliotibial band releases. Functional outcomes and rates of MCID and MOI achievement were comparable to a FAIS propensity-matched benchmark control group without ESH.

Level of evidence: Level III, retrospective comparative study.