Endoscopic treatment of the external snapping hip syndrome: surgical technique and report of two cases

Snapping hip or coxa saltans is a condition characterized by an audible and/or palpable snapping during hip movement and can be associated with pain around the hip. There are various causes of this condition and can be divided into two types: extra-articular and intra-articular. The most common type is the external extra-articular, where the snapping is due to thickened posterior part of the iliotibial band or anterior part of the gluteus maximus muscle sliding over the greater trochanter during hip movement. Two patients with external snapping hip are presented, who were treated with our original endoscopic iliotibial band release and greater trochanteric bursectomy. There were no surgical complications and the patients did not experience snapping or pain in the hip during 24-month follow-up period. Results of various open techniques and one endoscopic technique in the treatment of external snapping hip are also reported.