Introduction and Aims: There is a known association between femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) and osteoarthritis of the hip. What is not known is whether arthroscopic excision of an impingement lesion can significantly improve a patient’s symptoms.

Materials and Methods: This study compares the one-year results of hip arthroscopy for cam-type FAI in two groups of patients. The study (osteoplasty) group comprised 24 patients (24 hips) with cam-type FAI who underwent arthroscopic debridement with excision of their impingement lesion. The control (no osteoplasty) group comprised 47 patients (47 hips) who underwent arthroscopic debridement without excision of their impingement lesion. In both groups, the presence of FAI was confirmed on pre-operative plain radiographs. The modified Harris hip score (MHHS) was used for evaluation pre-operatively and at one year’s follow-up. Non-parametric tests were used for statistical analysis.

Results: A tendency towards higher median post-operative MHHS scores was observed in the study than in the control group (83 vs. 77, p = 0.11). This was supported by a significantly higher portion of patients in the osteoplasty group with excellent/good results (83% vs. 60%, p = 0.043).

Conclusions: It appears that even further symptomatic improvement may be obtained after hip arthroscopy for FAI by means of the femoral osteoplasty. When treating cam impingement arthroscopically, both central and peripheral compartments of the hip should always be accessed.