Operative treatment of chondral defects in the hip joint: a systematic review

Young patients with cartilage defects in the hip present a complex problem for the treating physician with limited treatment modalities available. Cartilage repair/replacement techniques have shown promising results in other joints, however, the literature regarding the hip joint is limited. The purpose of the current study is to conduct a systematic review of clinical outcomes following various treatments for chondral lesions of the hip and define the techniques for the treatment of these cartilage defects. The full manuscripts of 15 studies were reviewed for this systematic review including case studies, case series, and clinical studies. A variety of techniques have been reported for the treatment of symptomatic chondral lesions in the hip. Microfracture, cartilage repair, autologous chondrocyte implantation, mosaicplasty, and osteochondral allografting have all been used in very limited case series. Although good results have been reported, most studies lack both a control group and a large number of patients. However, the reported results in this article do provide a good foundation for treatments and stimulant for further study in an inherently difficult to treat young patient population with articular cartilage defects in the hip.