Historical review of arthroscopic surgery of the hip

Increasing our appreciation of the historical foundations of hip arthroscopy offers greater insight and understanding of the field’s current and future applications. This article offers a broad history of the progress of hip arthroscopy.

Hip arthroscopy’s development from the early technologies of endoscopy to the present day is described through a review of the available literature.

Endoscopic science begins with the Lichtleiter, developed by Phillip Bozzini (1779–1809) in 1806, but endoscopes were not applied to joints until 1912, as presented by Severin Nordentoft (1866–1922). The work of Kenji Takagi (1888–1963), especially, was instrumental in the arthroscope’s development, allowing Michael Burman (1901–75) to perform the first recorded hip arthroscopy, detailed in a 1931 paper after extensive cadaveric research. Although World War II stalled further development, a renewed application of fibre optics following post-war innovations in glass manufacture heralded the modern arthroscope’s invention. During the 1970s hip arthroscopy was first mobilized for diagnosis and exploration, leading to its later adoption for therapeutic surgical interventions. Modern hip arthroscopy has been facilitated by international research into optimum distraction, portals of entry, positioning of patients, and the technology of arthroscopic instruments. In 2008, the International Society for Hip Arthroscopy (ISHA) was founded to represent this international expert community.

Technology, communication and evidence-based medicine have jointly facilitated the development of this young but promising corner of Orthopaedics.