Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 20, 2025
Quantification of Monocyte Transmigration and Foam Cell Formation from Individuals with Chronic Inflammatory Conditions
Published on: October 17, 2017
A Unique and Characteristic Cam FAI Morphology in Young Patients with Comorbid Inflammatory Conditions
Akshay Seth1, Yi-Meng Yen2, Diego Tourn1
1Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Insights
In pediatric patients with femoroacetabular impingement (FAI), 8.9% had inflammatory conditions, presenting with a unique cam deformity. This finding suggests a link between FAI and inflammation, aiding in identifying undiagnosed inflammatory diseases.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedics
- Pediatric Rheumatology
- Radiology
Background:
- The association between femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) and inflammatory comorbidities is not well-established in pediatric populations.
- Investigating this link is crucial for understanding FAI development and co-occurring conditions in children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of inflammatory conditions in pediatric FAI patients.
- To characterize the specific hip morphology associated with FAI in these patients.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective cohort study of 90 pediatric FAI patients (January 2016 - March 2018).
- Analysis of radiographic measurements (alpha angle, lateral center-edge angle) and qualitative head-neck junction morphology.
- Identification of patients with inflammatory comorbidities.
Main Results:
- 8.9% of pediatric FAI patients (8 patients, 11 hips) had an inflammatory comorbidity.
- These patients exhibited a distinct cam deformity with a "sharp-edged" head-neck junction, resembling an inflammatory beak.
- Significantly larger alpha angles (26.6° difference) were observed in patients with inflammatory conditions compared to those without.
Conclusions:
- A notable percentage of pediatric FAI cases are associated with inflammatory comorbidities.
- The characteristic "sharp-edged" cam deformity may serve as a marker for undiagnosed inflammatory conditions.
- Further research is needed to explore the role of physeal inflammation in FAI development and the broader relationship between systemic inflammation and FAI.
Background:
The relationship between femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) and inflammatory medical comorbidities has not been established in the pediatric population. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of inflammatory conditions in pediatric patients with FAI and the morphology of the associated deformity.
Methods:
We performed a retrospective cohort study of 90 patients who were diagnosed with FAI in our institution's adolescent hip clinic from January 2016 to March 2018. Patients with an inflammatory comorbidity were identified. Standard quantitative radiographic FAI measurements as well as qualitative femoral head-neck junction morphology were analyzed.
Results:
Eight patients (8.9%) with 11 symptomatic hips were found to have an inflammatory condition. These 8 patients all had cam deformities. Nine of the symptomatic hips in this subset of patients had a negative femoral offset, where the cam deformity extended beyond the anterior margin of the femoral head. Qualitative assessment revealed a unique head-neck morphology with a prominent and "sharp-edged" bump at the head-neck junction, which resembled an inflammatory beak. In comparing patients with and without inflammatory comorbidities, a marked difference was found for alpha angles (difference, 26.6°; 95% confidence interval [CI], 18.2° to 35.0°) but not for age at diagnosis (difference, 0.5 years; 95% CI, -0.8 to 1.6 years) or the lateral center-edge angle (difference, 1.9°; 95% CI, -3.9° to 7.7°).
Conclusions:
At our institution, 8.9% of pediatric patients with FAI were found to have an inflammatory comorbidity. These patients presented with a characteristic prominent "sharp-edged" head-neck morphology that standard radiographic measurements captured as a negative femoral offset and a larger alpha angle than was seen in patients without systemic inflammatory disease. Awareness of the characteristic cam deformity that was found in these patients may help to identify patients with undiagnosed inflammatory conditions. This unique deformity also raises questions regarding the possible role of physeal inflammation in the development of cam deformities and indicates a need for additional studies to investigate the relationship between systemic inflammatory diseases and FAI.
Level Of Evidence:
Prognostic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
More Related Videos
05:14Author Spotlight: Overcoming Anti-VEGF Resistance Through Advanced Vascular Morphology Assessment in Choroidal Neovascularization
Published on: August 11, 2023
06:35An Immunohistopathologic Study to Profile the Folate Receptor Beta Macrophage and Vascular Immune Microenvironment in Giant Cell Arteritis
Published on: February 8, 2019
Related Concept Videos
01:20COPD: Pathogenesis and Clinical Features
The primary cause for the onset of COPD is cigarette smoking and exposure to air pollution. These hazardous factors initiate a chain reaction within the lungs, resulting in chronic inflammation, damage to the airways, and a...
01:25Endocarditis II: Clinical Features of Infective Endocarditis
01:30Inflammatory Bowel Disease II: Crohn's Disease
Inflammatory bowel disease, commonly known as IBD, refers to a collection of disorders that lead to persistent inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. The two types of IBD are ulcerative colitis, which impacts the colon, and Crohn's disease, which can involve any part of the gastrointestinal segment.
Crohn's disease
Crohn's disease is a chronic, systemic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that predominantly affects the gastrointestinal tract. It is marked by...
01:31Immunoglobulin-like Cell Adhesion Molecules
Ig-CAMs exhibit either homophilic binding (to other Ig-CAMs) or heterophilic binding (to other ligands such as integrins). While most Ig-CAMs...
01:20Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease-II: Pathophysiology
Chronic Inflammation
01:23Cystic Fibrosis: Pathogenesis
CF is primarily caused by a genetic mutation in a chromosome 7 gene coding for the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) protein. The most common gene mutation leading to CF is the ΔF508 mutation,...