Posterior dislocation of the hip following arthroscopy - a case report and discussion

Abstract

A 24-year-old military policeman underwent arthroscopic femoral neck osteoplasty and labral repair of his right hip following failed conservative management of femoroacetabular impingement. His postoperative course was complicated by recurring posterior instability of his right hip initially presenting as a posterior dislocation on postoperative day 19. Iatrogenic disruption of the hip's static stabilizers in the setting of underlying coxa valga is the likely culprit. Although anterior dislocation following hip arthroscopy has been described, posterior dislocation has not. Further, we identified a successful and less-invasive approach to the treatment of this complication, in the form of a spica cast. Prior cases pertaining to post-arthroscopy hip instability have only described operative interventions, such as capsular repair and plication, as effective revision procedures.