Staged Hip Arthroscopy and Periacetabular Osteotomy in Active Patients Aged 45 Years and Older Produce Comparable Improvements in Outcome Scores to Younger Patients.

Purpose: To determine staged hip arthroscopy and periacetabular osteotomy (PAO) mid-term outcomes in active patients aged 45 years and older compared with a younger group.

Methods: All patients aged 45 years and older who underwent staged arthroscopy and PAO between 2015 and 2021 were retrospectively analyzed and compared with a case-matched control group of younger patients. All patients underwent at least 6 months of nonoperative management prior to surgery. Prior to PAO, all patients underwent hip arthroscopy to address any intra-articular pathology. The experimental group consisted of patients with dysplasia aged 45 years and older without significant osteoarthritis who underwent PAO and reported patient-reported outcomes for a minimum of 1 year postoperatively. Patient-reported outcomes were quantified using the International Hip Outcome Tool 12 (iHOT-12) score and Non-arthritic Hip Score (NAHS).

Results: The cohort consisted of 35 patients (44 hips) with a mean age of 49.4 ± 3.8 years. The lateral center-edge angle significantly improved from preoperatively (20.1° ± 4.5°) to postoperatively (33.2° ± 3.2°, P < .001). The mean follow-up period in the PAO cohort aged 45 years and older was 2.80 years (standard deviation, 1.3 years) postoperatively. Patients reported significant improvements in the iHOT-12 score (36.6 ± 14.1 preoperatively vs 81.2 ± 21.0 at latest follow-up, P < .001) and NAHS (59.2 ± 15.5 preoperatively vs 87.4 ± 13.1 at latest follow-up, P < .001). The older cohort did not report significantly different iHOT-12 scores compared with the control group at any point, and age did not significantly affect either outcome score (P > .05).

Conclusions: Patients aged 45 years and older reported a statistically significant improvement in hip function and pain after staged hip arthroscopy and PAO, with outcome scores comparable to a younger cohort. Our findings show that appropriately selected older patients with dysplasia without significant pre-existing hip osteoarthritis experience clinically meaningful improvements in hip pain and function after hip preservation surgery.

Level of evidence: Level III, retrospective, comparative case series.