Had Hip Scope and Now need Resurfacing

[Renee P]

I had torn cartilage in my right hip for 19 years that went undiagnosed until I had a diagnostic hipscope last year.  The MRI and x-rays showed a normal hip.  After the hipscope, my surgeon told me I also had osteoarthritis worn to the bone in my acetabulum and would need a THR when I couldn't stand the pain any longer.  He said the clean-up he did during the arthroscopic surgery MIGHT give me some temporary relief.  It hasn't.  I was 39 years old at the time and the thought of a THR was scary.  Luckily, someone told me about resurfacing.  It's now a year later and my hip is getting worse and worse.  NSAIDS have stopped helping and I was also taking Ultram which has stopped helping.  I started Celebrex a few weeks ago and it helped for about 2 weeks.  I see my OS on July 3rd for a new set of x-rays and hopefully a game plan with this hip.  I'm in need of some serious pain management at this point.  Anyway, my point is that if I knew the hipscope wouldn't help, I wouldn't have bothered.  I would have just waited until I could be resurfaced and then went for it.  In hindsight, the only benefit of the hipscope was a diagnosis after all those years.

[Renee P]

Pat....I'm just curious as to why you thought this was an important enough topic to have it's own thread?  Is it a common thing?

[Pat Walter]

Hi

I have read a handful of stories where people had hipscope  or osteotomy that did not work and they eventually ended up with a hip resurfacing.

So I think it is important.

Also good topics somtimes get buried way down the page of responses. 

I just think it is a topic worthy of it's own thread. I imagine in time, others will responds too.

Certainly not to criticize or embarrass you, just to keep the discussion group useful and easy to follow.

I with you the best of luck.

Pat

[Renee P]

No worries...no offense was taken.  I was just curious.

[Chillman]

Renee,

Thanks for your posting.  Could you give a little more information about the "hipscope" that you mentioned?

Quote from: Renee P on Yesterday at 12:38:41 PM
Hi Chillman,

I had torn cartilage in my right hip for 19 years that went undiagnosed until I had a diagnostic hipscope last year.  The MRI and x-rays showed a normal hip.  After the hipscope, my surgeon told me I also had osteoarthritis worn to the bone in my acetabulum and would need a THR when I couldn't stand the pain any longer.

This is the first I've heard of that (hipscope) procedure.  Also, did I read your post correctly - You had BOTH X-rays AND an MRI and NEITHER indicated the severity of your hip/bone deterioration?  And during the same time-frame you had the hipscope that helped your doctor diagnosis your problem?

Sorry for asking so many questions, but I'm really frustrated and tired of not having the opportunity to enjoy just everyday things without fear of adding more injury to whatever it is, that is currently my hip isses.

Thank you for adding your comments, as I'm trying to find a solution to my constant hip pain!
C*

[Renee P]

A hipscope is the same thing as arthroscopic hip surgery.  My x-rays and MRI w/contrast came back normal.  I had a cortisone injection which gave me about a week's worth of pain relief and confirmed that my pain was coming from inside my hip joint.  Based on that info, my surgeon suggested the arthroscopic surgery so he could go in and look at the inside of my hip joint.  That's when he found a torn labrum, loose bodies and OA worn to the bone.  He said I MIGHT get some pain relief from him cleaning up the joint, but that a THR was inevitable at some point.  I've since found out from my new OS that I also have hip dysplasia that did not show up on MRI or x-rays.  He saw it on the fluoroscope when he was doing another cortisone injection last year.  My hip happened to be at a slightly different angle.  It's now been a year and my pain has slowly gotten worse.  It's difficult to get pain relief, it's difficult to sleep well, and now I have knee pain as well.

I go back July 3rd for new x-rays and I'll see what the status of my hip is at that point and take it from there as far as having my hip resurfaced.

Believe me, I know how frustrated you feel.  This has been one heck of a journey with this hip, and I look forward to the day I have a new resurfaced hip.

[m2taylor]

I first noticed compromised flexibility and pain in my R hip over 10 years ago, likely caused by bone spurs in the joint.   Bone spurs can interfere with the production of the synovial fluids needed to maintain healthy cartilage.  I was suffering from Femural Acetabulum IMPINGEMENT (FAI).    TODAY, someone with FAI can have this relieved thru an outpatient arthroscopic procedure.  while Orthos have been scoping shoulders for years, they only recently figured out how to scope hips, thanks to Dr. Sampson's pioneering research (San Francisco).   

Unfortunately, for me, this was not available at the time I needed it & Dr. Sampson's early patients had to be "opened up" anyway.  It is hard to find Ortho's that know how to scope a hip and relieve FAI, but they are out there ....

Eventually, my cartilage production had failed beyond repair & I needed resurfacing. 
Like many of us on this website, 25 years of basketball, tennis, soccer et al resulted in very strong bones but wiped out our cartilage.   I had my R hip resurfaced (Birmingham) by Dr. Lannin 2.5 weeks ago.  all going well, thus far :0)

[Maggie]

Hi All

Hip arthroscopy has been available in the UK for atleast 13 years, pioneered by Mr Richard Villar at Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge. I had the procedure way back in 1995 and that was very successful, decreasing pain and improving my mobility for many years (I was 33 at the time). I had a second arthroscopy on the same hip in 2007 and hoped for a similar result. Unfortunately, if anything, my condition deteriorated after that, and after waiting for an improvement for some time I finally had a resurfacing of my left hip November 2008. Hip arthroscopy is a fairly difficult procedure, and as with resurfacing one should always seek a very experienced surgeon. I think, for a lot of people, it is worth giving it a try if other investigations are inconclusive (and scans and x-rays don't always show the full extent of your problem), as it may settle the hip down for some time.

Maggie

[robin b]

I have had bearable hip pain for 20 years,just figured it was from riding horses for 30 years, but after having 'female surgery' 2 years ago I have experienced increased hip pain and found myself taking 3-4 Advil to drive across town or sit on an airplane ( with little relief), I finally decided to consult a specialist. He did xrays and MRI with contrast, but the pictures were inconclusive, so the doctor decided to scope my hip to see what might be going on.  He cleaned up some torn labrum and loose material, but the biggest problem was undetected in the pictures was 2 large cartlidge tears on the back of the hip socket, and he can't fix these. He said I am a perfect candidate for resurfacing and to let him know when I was ready. This was a shock to me.  I am glad I had the scope to find out what was wrong with my hip, unfortunately the scope did not relieve the pain.

I don't see myself as ready for resurfacing yet, I am in denial, I walk ok, as long as it is not too much- only limp when I have been sitting or exercising. I can't sit comfortably for any length of time, can't ride a bike, but can still ride my horse for shorter rides. I am trying anti-inflamatories to see if they help and waiting for the pain to get worse to convince me to have the surgery.

[kekipivill]

A hipscope is the same thing as arthroscopic hip surgery.  My x-rays and MRI w/contrast came back normal.  I had a cortisone injection which gave me about a week's worth of pain relief and confirmed that my pain was coming from inside my hip joint.  Based on that info, my surgeon suggested the arthroscopic surgery so he could go in and look at the inside of my hip joint.  That's when he found a torn labrum, loose bodies and OA worn to the bone.  He said I MIGHT get some pain relief from him cleaning up the joint, but that a THR was inevitable at some point.  I've since found out from my new OS that I also have hip dysplasia that did not show up on MRI or x-rays.  He saw it on the fluoroscope when he was doing another cortisone injection last year.  My hip happened to be at a slightly different angle.  It's now been a year and my pain has slowly gotten worse.  It's difficult to get pain relief, it's difficult to sleep well, and now I have knee pain as well.

I knew I had Congenital Hip Dysplasia affecting my left hip and wore a brace as a baby.  After the birth of my 3rd child I had unbearable hip pain in the groin area and had an MRI and a torn labrum was discovered.  I had the arthroscopic surgery and experienced immediate pain relief.  It has been 6 years and I went from being a marathon runner, to a walker, now to a swimmer.  I am quickly losing range of motion and have been taking Celebrex for 2 years that I have to supplement with Tylenol Arthritus.  I see a Rheumatologist later this month and I am hoping to discuss a HR as I am only 37 years old.  My Husband is active duty though so I am not sure if Tricare would even cover a HR proceedure.

[m2taylor]

I am happy to defer to Maggie. it is easy to believe they have been scoping hips in the UK for over 13 years.   I was misinformed.