Time required to achieve the minimal clinically important difference after open proximal hamstring repair

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Patient-Reported Outcome Measures

Background:

• Assessing surgical success relies on minimal clinically important difference (MCID) for patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs).
• MCIDs for International Hip Outcome Tool (iHOT-33) and Modified Harris Hip Score (mHHS) are known for open proximal hamstring repair (OPHR), but achievement timelines are unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the speed and reliability of achieving MCID for iHOT-33 and mHHS after OPHR.
• To identify factors associated with achieving MCID in patients undergoing OPHR.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of prospectively collected data from a hip preservation registry.
• Analysis of pre-operative and 6-, 12-, and 24-month post-operative iHOT-33 and mHHS scores.
• Statistical assessment of factors influencing MCID achievement.

Main Results:

• 83% and 78% of patients achieved MCID for iHOT-33 and mHHS, respectively, by 6 months post-OPHR.
• Patients with chronic symptoms (>6 months) were less likely to achieve MCID at 6 months (60% vs. 12.5%, P=0.04).
• Patients with more severe preoperative pain were more likely to achieve MCID at 6 months (P=0.004).

Conclusions:

• The majority of patients achieve MCID for iHOT-33 and mHHS by 6 months after OPHR.
• Chronic symptoms are associated with failure to achieve MCID post-operatively.
• Greater preoperative pain predicts successful MCID achievement within 6 months.