Femoroacetabular Contact Force Measurement in Hip Arthroscopy: Surgical Technique

The femoroacetabular contact force and pressure are increased in the anterosuperior segment of the acetabulum in femoroacetabular impingement syndrome. We developed a special device for femoroacetabular contact force measurement in hip arthroscopy and present the surgical technique for measuring femoroacetabular contact force in the intact joint with a cam morphology and after cam resection, with the hip in different positions in a cadaver specimen. The device is introduced into the joint peripheral compartment. After joint distraction, the sensor is deployed through the cannula and advanced into the central compartment under direct arthroscopic control. We show a decrease in the contact force measured with this device after cam resection. This force analysis is limited to the anterosuperior femoroacetabular junction, which is the most frequent location for labral and chondral pathology in cam-type femoroacetabular impingement syndrome. We believe that this device also can be used in the evaluation of the contact forces in other joint conditions and in the assessment of diverse techniques of labral repair or reconstruction.