Return to Sports and Minimum 2-Year Outcomes of Bilateral Hip Arthroscopy in High-Level Athletes With a Propensity-Matched Benchmarking Against a Unilateral Control Group

Background: Return to sports (RTS) and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) for high-level athletes after bilateral hip arthroscopy have not been well established. Purpose: (1) To report minimum 2-year PROs and RTS rates in high-level athletes who underwent staged bilateral primary hip arthroscopies and (2) to compare clinical results against a propensity-matched control group of high-level athletes who underwent unilateral primary hip arthroscopy. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Data were prospectively collected and retrospectively reviewed for high-level athletes (professional, college, or high school) who underwent staged bilateral hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement syndrome between September 2009 and October 2018. Inclusion criteria were preoperative and minimum 2-year follow-up for modified Harris Hip Score, Non-arthritic Hip Score, Hip Outcome Score-Sports Specific Subscale (HOS-SSS), and visual analog scale for pain. Exclusion criteria were Tonnis grade >1, hip dysplasia (lateral center-edge angle <18 degrees), and previous ipsilateral hip surgery/conditions. Rates of achieving the minimal clinically important difference (MCID), patient acceptable symptomatic state (PASS), and maximum outcome improvement satisfaction threshold were recorded in addition to RTS. These athletes were then propensity matched in a 1:3 ratio to high-level athletes who underwent unilateral arthroscopy for comparison. Outcomes were compared among the first hip of the study group, the second hip of the study group, and the control group. Results: A total of 74 high-level athletes who underwent bilateral hip arthroscopy met the inclusion criteria, and follow-up was available for 68 (91.9%) at 58.9 +/- 24.5 months (mean +/- SD). Athletes undergoing bilateral hip arthroscopy returned to sports at a high rate (81.7%), demonstrated significant improvements in all recorded PROs, and achieved the MCID and PASS for the HOS-SSS at rates of 80.9% and 64.7%, respectively. PROs, RTS rate, and rates of achieving the MCID and PASS for the HOS-SSS were similar when the bilateral study group was compared with the unilateral control group (P > .05). Conclusion: High-level athletes who undergo staged bilateral primary hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement syndrome may expect favorable PROs and RTS rates at minimum 2-year follow-up. These results were comparable with those of a propensity-matched control group of high-level athletes who underwent unilateral primary hip arthroscopy.