Hip Chondral Defects: Arthroscopic Treatment With the Needle and Curette Technique and ChondroFiller.

Management of symptomatic focal cartilage defects of the hip can be challenging. Cells, scaffold therapies, and injectable agents have emerged as an adjunctive modality to improve clinical outcomes. Long and malleable needles that can be bent are used to release these kinds of biological products. Distance between the tip of the needle and the area to be filled should be minimal to ensure full contact with the chondral lesion to avoid losing material inside the hip cavity and to increase the efficiency of the release of the product. Nevertheless in many cases the accessibility is not easy, and the distance between the tip of the needle and the area to be treated is such that the efficiency of the release is difficult, if not impossible. We aim to describe a simple, inexpensive, and reproducible technique to facilitate the implantation of biologic and injectable materials in hip chondral defects during arthroscopy: the use of a combination of a curette and a needle inside the tip of the curette. Additionally we describe the use of ChondroFiller liquid, a liquid cell-free collagen matrix, for the treatment of symptomatic full-thickness chondral defects of the hip in a 1-step arthroscopic procedure.

Simultaneous Acetabular Labrum Reconstruction and Remplissage of the Femoral Head-Neck Junction.

With the recent increase in the use of hip arthroscopy, revision hip arthroscopy also has become more prevalent; nevertheless, it is often complex, and many factors should be considered to achieve a satisfactory clinical outcome. Labral reconstruction or augmentation technique is used in cases of severely deficient acetabular labral tissue to restore the fluid seal mechanism. In cases of previous over-resection of cam impingement, the remplissage technique, used to restore the bony defect of the femoral head-neck junction and preserve the joint seal, is an established technique that has been recently reported in the hip with the use of iliotibial band with the same aim as in the shoulder, filling in of the defect due to healing of the soft tissue to the underlying bony impression. We aim to describe a labrum reconstruction in combination with a remplissage of the femoral head-neck junction with a dermal graft in a patient with recurrent hip pain after hip scope. This combination may improve hip stability and reduced pain after failed hip scope.

Suture-on-Screw Technique for Os Acetabuli Fixation and Labral Repair.

The os acetabuli is thought to arise from unfused secondary ossification centers or as rim fractures in the setting of dysplastic hips or hips with femoroacetabular impingement. Resection of a large os acetabuli can lead to structural instability of the joint, and in these cases, osteoplasty of the impingement, reduction and internal fixation of the osseous fragment, and labral repair have been described in the literature. Anchor fixation for labral repair in the surrounding zone of the osteosynthesis might bring some technical problems. We aim to describe a technical modification improving labral lesion treatment while addressing the rim fracture. The addition of a suture to the screw addresses both lesions because it simultaneously has the function of a screw and an anchor. A suture-on-screw technique for os acetabuli fixation helps surgeons to gain versatility and is more cost-effective for the patients and health services.

Deep gluteal space problems: piriformis syndrome, ischiofemoral impingement and sciatic nerve release.

BACKGROUND: Deep gluteal syndrome (DGS) is an underdiagnosed entity characterized by pain and/or dysesthesias in the buttock area, hip or posterior thigh and/or radicular pain due to a non-discogenic sciatic nerve entrapment in the subgluteal space. Multiple pathologies have been incorporated in this all-included "piriformis syndrome", a term that has nothing to do with the presence of fibrous bands, obturator internus/gemellus syndrome, quadratus femoris/ischiofemoral pathology, hamstring conditions, gluteal disorders and orthopedic causes. METHODS: This article describes the subgluteal space anatomy, reviews known and new etiologies of DGS, and assesses the role of the radiologist and orthopaedic surgeons in the diagnosis, treatment and postoperative evaluation of sciatic nerve entrapments. CONCLUSION: DGS is an under-recognized and multifactorial pathology. The development of periarticular hip endoscopy has led to an understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying piriformis syndrome, which has supported its further classification. The whole sciatic nerve trajectory in the deep gluteal space can be addressed by an endoscopic surgical technique. Endoscopic decompression of the sciatic nerve appears useful in improving function and diminishing hip pain in sciatic nerve entrapments, but requires significant experience and familiarity with the gross and endoscopic anatomy. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.

Transosseous Acetabular Labral Repair as an Alternative to Anchors.

Labral tears are the most common pathology in patients undergoing hip arthroscopy and the most common cause of mechanical hip symptoms. Labral repair techniques have been described in the literature using suture anchors placed as close as possible to the acetabular rim without penetrating the articular surface. Optimal surgical technique for labral repair is very important, and an inappropriate entry point and guide angulation may lead to intra-articular penetration of the anchor, chondral damage, anchor loosening, or inadequate fixation. A shallow dysplastic hip, the drilling trajectory, the narrow width of the acetabular rim, or some specific anatomic variations may generate difficulty during anchor placement. Suture anchors themselves have been associated with several significant complications, including rim fracture, osteolysis, enlargement of drill holes, and infection. The treatment of labral lesions with transosseous suture is an alternative to anchor use, eliminating the need for anchors and avoiding anchor-associated complications. This technique offers versatility to surgeons and is more cost-effective for patients and health services. We aim to describe the indications and technique for transosseous labral repair without anchors.