A Narrow Posterior Joint Space on a False Profile Radiograph Does Not Correlate to Posterior Joint Cartilage Degeneration in Hip Preservation Patients

Abstract Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether a narrow posterior joint space ( Methods A retrospective chart review of 155 consecutive hip arthroscopy cases by a single surgeon (SKA) from March 2012 to February 2013 was performed. Patients were included in the study if they had an adequate perioperative false profile radiograph and clear intraoperative arthroscopic images of the posterior hip joint. The narrowest posterior joint space (NPJS) width, as well as the directly posterior, posterosuperior, superior, and anterosuperior joint space widths were measured on the false profile radiograph. Femoral and acetabular cartilage of the posterior hip joint were graded with the International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) classification system using arthroscopic images obtained at the time of surgery. The cartilage grades of patients with less than 2 mm NPJS were compared to cartilage grades of patients with greater than or equal to 2 mm NPJS. Results There was no difference in cartilage grading between patients with less than 2 mm NPJS (19 patients) and those with greater than or equal to 2 mm NPJS (81 patients) (p=0.905). The mean age of patients with NPJS ≥2 mm and Conclusion In this predominantly cam-type femoroacetabular impingement patient cohort, our findings indicate there is no correlation between a