Sustained benefit of autologous matrix-induced chondrogenesis for hip cartilage repair in a recreational athletic population

Purpose To investigate the clinical outcome of autologous matrix-induced chondrogenesis (AMIC) implementation for mid-sized chondral lesions of the acetabulum in young active patients, and assess their potential to resume an active lifestyle including return to recreational athletic activities. Methods Sixty-two patients with full-thickness mid-sized acetabular chondral lesions were studied. All patients who underwent an arthroscopic AMIC procedure for reconstruction of chondral defects were assessed pre-operatively and at least 2 years post-operatively using the Hip disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (HOOS), modified Harris Hip Score (mHHS) and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain. Results A significant improvement in all three scores at the time of follow-up was found. The mean HOOS improved from 58.8 +/- 7.4 pre-operatively to 90.6 +/- 7.1 at follow-up (p < 0.001) while the mean mHHS improved from 53.4 +/- 6.6 to 82.4 +/- 8.2 (p < 0.001). There was a significant decrease from 4.9 +/- 1.1 pre-operatively to 1.1 +/- 0.8 post-operatively (p < 0.001) in the VAS pain evaluation, indicating that the patients were satisfied with their relief of pain. Conclusions The AMIC procedure is an effective single-stage technique for the reconstruction of mid-size chondral defects of acetabulum in amateur athletes. This intervention enhanced the potential for patients to resume recreational athletic activities and the 2-year clinical outcome as evaluated by the HOOS, mHHS and VAS showed significant improvement over the pre-operative evaluations.