Arthroscopic view of tear of acetabular labrum	Arthroscopic view of articular cartilage damage

Whilst arthroscopic (keyhole) surgery to large joints such as the knee and the shoulder is widely used, arthroscopy of the hip is much less common. This is because the hip joint is deeply seated and relatively inaccessible. Fortunately, special equipment and advances in surgical technique have made hip arthroscopy a safe and reliable day-case operation.

Loose bodies removed from a hip during hip arthroscopy	A common sporting injury is damage to the acetabular labrum. The labrum is a skirt of fibrous material round the edge of the hip socket, which can be torn by repeated flexion and pivoting manoeuvres. Damage is felt as a sharp, painful catching, locking or clicking at the front of the hip in the groin. It is common in participants of soccer, tennis, karate, and ice hockey. Tears of the labrum can easily be treated with hip arthroscopy in much the same way as a torn cartilage can be dealt with in the knee. Hip arthroscopy is also very useful for removing loose fragments from the hip and for assessing the amount of "wear and tear" in the joint.
Video of loose body removal [5.3mb]
Labral tear video [4.5mb]
Links
Cedars-Sinai Institute for Joint Replacement Hughston Sports Medicine Foundation