Hip arthroscopy is a minimally invasive form of hip surgery. It is less stressful for the patient than open surgery. It also leaves fewer surgical scars. Hip arthroscopy cannot eliminate all the risks and discomfort of surgery. However, it drastically reduces the risks of surgery. The most important factor here is tissue protection.
Here you will find further information and selected hip arthroscopy specialists and centers.
The hip joint is one of the largest joints in the human body. It is a ball-and-socket joint that allows the leg to move in all directions. Hip operations are therefore very complex. You must maintain the function of the joint even after the operation.
Hip arthroscopy is playing an increasingly important role today, particularly in younger and middle-aged patients.
Arthroscopy is a minimally invasive procedure. The surgeon only makes very small incisions in the skin and operates through them using various very small instruments. This is why it is also known colloquially as "keyhole surgery".
The instruments are advanced through a tube to the surgical site and controlled from the outside. A light source, a camera and special surgical instruments(endoscopy) are used. The image from the camera is transmitted directly to a monitor so that the surgeon can see the surgical site enlarged.
The video shows how a hip arthroscopy works:
Arthroscopies are very frequently used in the knee and shoulder joints. However, hip arthroscopies are also increasingly becoming the procedure of choice.
The procedure is performed under either partial or general anesthesia. The patient lies either on their side or on their back during the procedure.
The side to be operated on may need to be stretched again. This opens up the hip joint space for the operation. A special device is used for this.
After the skin incision, the surgeon inserts the necessary instruments into the area to be operated on.
If necessary, X-rays can also be taken during the procedure.
Arthroscopy is now indicated for many hip conditions.
For example, if the cartilage lip of the acetabulum, the so-called labrum, is damaged, a hip arthroscopy can be performed. The damaged labrum can be sutured and damaged parts removed.
However, other symptoms such as
are suitable for hip arthroscopy. Cartilage transplants can now also be carried out to a certain extent thanks to hip arthroscopy.
Small incisions in the skin are sufficient to perform the operation. Arthroscopy therefore spares tissue and usually does not have to cut through any muscles. As less tissue is injured, there is less pain and the healing time is shorter.
Patients who are particularly active in sports benefit from hip arthroscopy. Both professional and recreational athletes can return to their previous level of activity more quickly.
After a hip arthroscopy, the patient must take it easy for a while. Physiotherapeutic measures may also be recommended. However, the downtime is less than with open surgery.
Hip arthroscopy also has advantages from a cosmetic point of view. The surgical scars are very small and barely visible after a short time.
Hip arthroscopy has the following advantages over open surgery:
Every surgical procedure involves risks of complications, including hip arthroscopy. These generally include wound healing disorders or infections.
In addition, surrounding tissue can also be affected during a hip arthroscopy. Nerve injuries that later lead to numbness or sensory disturbances are also possible. However, these are rather rare side effects.
Aftercare and rehabilitation always depend on
As a rule, only a short hospital stay is required. If necessary, forearm crutches are prescribed for the recovery period to provide complete or partial relief.
In many cases, physiotherapy is started on the first postoperative day. Professional physiotherapy is particularly important for people who are active in sports. It ensures that patients can return to their sport as quickly as possible.
This therapy usually includes exercises for mobilization as well as strength and muscle building. Coordination is also trained with special exercises.
Despite all its advantages, hip arthroscopy is a difficult procedure due to the nature of the hip joint. You should therefore consult a specialist. Both surgeons and orthopaedic surgeons can specialize in minimally invasive hip operations.
There are also clinics that specialize in hip surgery. These hip centers usually perform several hundred operations every year. The doctors therefore have a wealth of experience in a wide range of hip operations.
Hip arthroscopy with cartilage cell transplantation is used to treat isolated cartilage damage to the hip joint. Cartilage cells that have been cultivated in a special laboratory are transplanted into the hip joint using an arthroscopic technique.
The aim of cartilage cell transplantation is to prevent progressive damage to the hip joint.
The treatment of circumscribed cartilage damage to the joint poses a particular challenge.
Illustration of cartilage damage to the hip joint (femoral head) © catsnfrogs / Fotolia
Isolated cartilage damage to the hip joint is caused by accidents or as a result of "tightness syndrome" of the hip (impingement syndrome). Impingement causes a mechanical disturbance in the sliding behavior of the joint components due to bone deformations.
The first signs of such damage are painful flexion and rotation of the hip. They lead to restrictions in daily life, e.g.
The doctor diagnoses cartilage damage to the hip joint using X-rays and MRI scans. The exact assessment of the cartilage damage is carried out during hip arthroscopy.
In the case of an isolated, deep cartilage defect without further osteoarthritis (wear and tear), the surgeon first removes the cause of the cartilage damage. To do this, he can grind off bony protrusions in the case of impingement, for example.
He then removes small amounts of cartilage, which are cultivated in a special laboratory in a 6-week, purely biological procedure. This produces so-called spheroids, small "cartilage balls", each containing around 200,000 vital cartilage cells.
Around six weeks later, the surgeon can implant these spheroids using hip arthroscopy. Here they quickly adhere to the cartilage defect through adhesion. In the following period, the cartilage cells multiply until the damage is filled with natural cartilage tissue.
As a rule, the patient is quickly mobile again after a cartilage cell transplant. They only need to rest the joint for around six weeks and take partial weight off it.
Younger, active patients in particular benefit considerably from cartilage cell transplantation using hip arthroscopy. Progressive damage to the hip joint can be avoided in these patients.
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