Results of the PeRception of femOroaCetabular impingEment by Surgeons Survey (PROCESS)

Purpose

Currently, there is a lack of high-level evidence addressing the variety of treatment options available for patients diagnosed with femoroacetabular impingement (FAI). The objective was to determine the current state of practice for FAI in Canada.

Methods

A questionnaire was developed and pretested to address the current state of knowledge among orthopaedic surgeons regarding FAI treatment using a focus group of experts, reviewing prior surveys, and reviewing online guidelines addressing surgical interventions for FAI. The membership of the Canadian Orthopaedic Association (COA) was surveyed through email and mail in both French and English.

Results

Two hundred and two surveys were obtained (20 % response rate), of which 74.3 % of respondents manage patients under age 40 with hip pain. Most surgeons (62 %) considered failure of non-operative management as the most important indication for the surgical management of FAI, usually by treating both bony and soft tissue damage (54.4 %). The majority of surgeons were unsure of the existence of evidence supporting the best clinical test for FAI, the use of a diagnostic intra-articular injection for diagnosis of FAI, and for non-operative management of FAI. One in four respondents supported a sham surgery (24.8 %) control arm for a trial evaluating the impact of surgical intervention on FAI.

Conclusions

This survey elucidates areas of research for future studies relevant to FAI and highlights controversial areas of treatment. The results suggest that the current management of FAI by members of the COA is limited by a lack of awareness of high-level evidence.

Level of evidence

III.