Do complications in hip arthroscopy change with experience?

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the type and incidence of complications during the development of hip arthroscopic techniques.

Methods: A retrospective series of 194 files of patients treated with hip arthroscopy in a tertiary hospital from December 1999 to March 2008 was reviewed for complications. The incidence of complications was recorded consecutively for each group of 30 patients and in intervals of 2 years. A comparison between the complication rates was performed within the time frames and the set of cases. The type and severity of complications were also recorded.

Results: There were 12 complications (6.1%) in this series. Of these, 5 were neurologic (2.6%), 4 were musculoskeletal (2%), and 3 were vascular/ischemic (1.5%). According to severity, 2 were considered major complications (1%), 8 were intermediate (4.1%), and 2 were minor (1%). The incidence of complications did not change with time (P = .959) or with the number of cases performed (P = .771), but different types of complications occurred along the learning curve.

Conclusions: The nature of complications changed with experience, but no significant variation in the incidence was observed over the 9-year period of experience with hip arthroscopy.

Level of evidence: Level IV, therapeutic case series.