Assessing outcomes following arthroscopic labral debridement—what can the IHOT-33 reveal?

As the complexity of arthroscopic procedures continues to increase, assessing the success of these procedures is of utmost importance to determine appropriate treatment plans for patients. This study compares outcome scores on the International Hip Outcome Tool (IHOT-33) using an analysis of its four subscales to scores on the Modified Harris Hip Score (MHHS) in patients following hip arthroscopy. Patients who had undergone hip arthroscopy between 1 and 5 years ago were assessed using both the IHOT-33 and MHHS at their most recent follow-up visit. Total scores for each outcome measure were calculated. A composite score for each of the IHOT subscales was calculated by averaging the total points in each section. Total score on the MHHS was compared with total score on the IHOT-33 and its four subscales using separate wilcoxin signed ranks tests. In total, 44 patients met our inclusion criteria with an average follow-up of 24.8 ± 18.8 months. MHHS total score was greater than IHOT-33 total score (P = 0.04). Comparisons between MHHS total score and the IHOT-33 subscales revealed reductions in sport (P = 0.001) and social (P = 0.004), but no difference in symptoms (P = 0.74) and job (P = 0.84). Our findings demonstrated that scores on the MHHS are inflated when compared with scores on the IHOT-33 for patients following hip arthroscopy. Subscale analysis revealed that the reductions in IHOT-33 scores exist in the sport and recreational domain and social, emotional, lifestyle domain compared with the MHHS. Our results suggest that analysing the subscales of the IHOT-33 would provide a more thorough understanding of functional limitations in patients undergoing hip arthroscopy.