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Use of Hip Arthroscopy and Risk of Conversion to Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Population-Based Analysis
William W Schairer1, Benedict U Nwachukwu2, Frank McCormick3
1Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, New York, U.S.A..
Purpose:
To use population-level data to (1) evaluate the conversion rate of total hip arthroplasty (THA) within 2 years of hip arthroscopy and (2) assess the influence of age, arthritis, and obesity on the rate of conversion to THA.
Methods:
We used the State Ambulatory Surgery Databases and State Inpatient Databases for California and Florida from 2005 through 2012, which contain 100% of patient visits. Hip arthroscopy patients were tracked for subsequent primary THA within 2 years. Out-of-state patients and patients with less than 2 years follow-up were excluded. Multivariate analysis identified risks for subsequent hip arthroplasty after arthroscopy.
Results:
We identified 7,351 patients who underwent hip arthroscopy with 2 years follow-up. The mean age was 43.9 ± 13.7 years, and 58.8% were female patients. Overall, 11.7% of patients underwent THA conversion within 2 years. The conversion rate was lowest in patients aged younger than 40 years (3.0%) and highest in the 60- to 69-year-old group (35.0%) (P < .001). We found an increased risk of THA conversion in older patients and in patients with osteoarthritis or obesity at the time of hip arthroscopy. Patients treated at high-volume hip arthroscopy centers had a lower THA conversion rate than those treated at low-volume centers (15.1% v 9.7%, P < .001).
Conclusions:
Hip arthroscopy is performed in patients of various ages, including middle-aged and elderly patients. Older patients have a higher rate of conversion to THA, as do patients with osteoarthritis or obesity.
Level Of Evidence:
Level III, retrospective comparative study.

