[Femoroacetabular impingement: minimally invasive hip surgery]

Minimally invasive hip surgery is an innovative surgical technique mainly used in femoroacetabular impingement (FAI). The purpose of the surgical correction in FAI deformity is to eliminate the etiologic factor in the development of the so-called idiopathic hip osteoarthritis. Decisive for the success of joint preservation is the preoperative assessment of the deformity and the possible damage to the cartilage. The optimal intervention in the presence of substantial cartilage damage is joint replacement. The patient's history and the findings of physical examination with detailed radiographs and magnetic resonance imaging based on a sagittal oblique localizer optionally using intra-articular contrast prevent underestimation of the stage of the disease. Knowledge about the options and techniques of minimally invasive hip surgery helps to identify patients appropriate for other interventions like surgical dislocation of the hip and the periacetabular osteotomy.