MRI-detected hip damage reveals cam-type impingement, risk of joint damage in young men

MRI-detected hip damage in young men without symptoms of arthritis revealed cam-type impingement and potential risk factors for joint damage which may develop into osteoarthritis, according to a study published in Arthritis and Rheumatism.

Stephan Reichenbach, MD, and his team gathered 244 males with no histories of hip pain from a single Swiss recruiting center. Researchers scanned one hip from each participant to determine whether cam-type deformities, labral lesions, signs of cartilage damage or impingement pits appeared in the MRI results, the study noted.

“Our study is the first population-based MRI study to confirm the role of cam-type deformities of the hip as a potential risk factor for joint damage,” Reichbach stated in a press release.

Results were analyzed using logistic regression models adjusted for age and BMI to determine the relationship between the deformities and signs of joint damage.

Sixty-seven cam-type impingements were found in the cohort, with higher BMI and decreased internal hip rotation cited as being factors for the deformity, according to the study.

Labral lesions occurred in 85% of patients with impingement and 67% in those without deformities; labral avulsions were present in 76% of deformity cases and 58% of non-deformity cases. Only 30% of patients with the deformity had impingement pits compared to 12% of patients without deformities.

The signs of joint damage in this study indicate a possible development to osteoarthritic hips according to the study, however, “longer-term studies are needed to determine if cam-type deformity increases risk of developing hip [osteoarthritis] OA,” Reichenbach stated in the release.

Reference:

Reichenbach S, Leunig M, Werlen S, et al. Association between cam-type deformity and MRI-detected structural damage of the hip: A cross-sectional study in young males. Arthritis Rheum. 2011. doi:10.1002/art.30589

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