Comparative efficacy of longitudinal outside-in versus transverse inside-out capsulotomy in arthroscopic intervention for femoral acetabular impingement: a clinical outcomes study / 中华骨科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To compare the short-term clinical outcomes associated with longitudinal outside-in capsulotomy and transverse inside-out capsulotomy in arthroscopic surgery for femoral acetabular impingement (FAI).Methods:A retrospective cohort study was conducted encompassing 30 patients who underwent arthroscopic surgery to address FAI from August 2020 to June 2021. This group, comprising an equal distribution of 15 males and 15 females with a mean age of 40.9±10.7 years (range 15-63 years), was subjected to longitudinal outside-in capsulotomy without subsequent capsular closure. Patients of the longitudinal capsulotomy group (Group L) were 1∶1 matched with another 30 patients who underwentarthroscopic surgery for FAI between April 2018 and April 2019 as controls, including 10 males and 20 females, aged 40.6±9.2 years old (range, 25-60 years old). The control group (Group T) underwent transverse inside-out capsulotomy without capsular closure. The subjective functional outcomes within both groups were meticulously evaluated, including the modified Harris hip score (mHHS) and the visual analog scale (VAS). Additionally, the proportions of subjects achieving Grade A or B classifications and the patient acceptable symptomatic state (PASS) based upon the mHHS were scrupulously calculated.Results:The foundational data, encompassing pre-operative subjective functional scores, pre-operative radiological dimensions, and intra-operative discoveries, showed no significant differences between the groups ( P>0.05). At the one-year follow-up, Group L demonstrated a reduced post-operative VAS score of 1.3±1.6, a diminution from the pre-operative mean of 6.3±1.4, alongside a mHHS improvement from 63.8±15.1 pre-operatively to 93.5±5.1 post-operatively. Conversely, Group T revealed a post-operative VAS score of 1.4±1.5, ameliorated from a pre-operative mean of 7.0±1.6, and an mHHS improvement from 64.6±7.8 pre-operatively to 90.4±8.4 post-operatively. The improvements of VAS and the mHHS showed statistical significance in both groups ( P<0.001), yet no significant disparities were observable in the post-operative VAS and mHHS results between the two cohorts ( t=0.03, P=0.735 for VAS; t=1.75, P=0.082 for mHHS). Remarkably, every participant in Group L achieved Grade A or B in mHHS; however, only 83.3% of Group T attained these grades, a discrepancy manifesting statistical significance (χ 2=8.32, P<0.01). Correlatively, the attainment of PASS stood at 100% in Group L versus 90% in Group T, denoting a statistically significant difference (χ 2=6.54, P<0.01). Conclusion:Longitudinal outside-in capsulotomy in the arthroscopic management of FAI is vindicated as an effective technique, exhibiting parallel clinical outcomes to the traditional transverse inside-out technique.