Editorial Commentary: When Enough Is Enough-Orthopaedic Procedures With Long Learning Curves and the Case of Hip Arthroscopy

The incidence of hip arthroscopy is increasing over time, as is the rate of labral repairs performed by American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery candidates in general and by sports medicine fellowship-trained candidates in particular. However, both arthroscopic labral debridement and repair yield excellent minimum 10-year outcomes in well-selected femoroacetabular impingement patients. In my practice, most hip arthroscopy patients undergo labral repair, and labral reconstruction is performed in about 4%, so I view the rising use of labral repair as a step forward. But concerns remain. How many of these American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery candidates will be able to hone their arthroscopic skills (and clinical judgment) in anywhere near the number of cases needed to achieve demonstrably low reoperation rates? In addition, will these fledgling surgeons be able to perform labral reconstructions or augmentations when indicated, bearing in mind that only half of such cases could be predicted preoperatively? The definition of adequate hip arthroscopy training remains up for grabs.