Comparison of the Amount of Iliopsoas Tendon Lengthening That Occurs after ArthroscopicLabral-Level and Lesser Trochanteric Tenotomies

• Published in: Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine 2013-09, Vol.1 (4_suppl)
• Main Authors: Bayer, Jennifer L., Keene, James S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2325-9671; 2325-9671
• DOI: 10.1177/2325967113S00060

Objectives: The success of arthroscopic iliopsoas tenotomies (AIT’s) performed at the level of the lesser trochanter for treatment of a painful snapping tendon is well documented. Currently, iliopsoas labral-level tenotomies have been advocated for treatment of this problem. However, a recent study reported a high incidence (∼50%) of recurrent snapping after iliopsoas tendon (IT) releases at this level (1). The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a difference in the amount of tendon separation/lengthening following AIT’s at the labral and lesser trochanteric levels. To date, the amount of tendon separation that occurs after releases at these two sites has not been reported. Methods: From the senior author’s data base of 900 hip arthroscopies, 80 patients who had arthroscopic iliopsoas tenotomies performed:1) at the level of the labrum (40 patients); or 2) at the lesse rtrochanter (40 patients) were identified. The amount of tendon separation/lengthening in these 80 patients was determined either from direct intra-operative measurements (40 patients) or from measurements made off of the intra-operative photographs. Image magnification on the intra-operative photographs was controlled for by basing the measurements of tendon separation on the known dimensions of the radiofrequency probe or 5 mm cannula that was present in each iliopsoas release picture (Figure 1). Two sample t tests were used for data analysis with p =