Ganz FAI concept

Femoroacetabular impingement: a cause for osteoarthritis of the hip.

Ganz R, Parvizi J, Beck M, et al. Clinical orthopaedics and related research 2003 · PMID 14646708 · doi:10.1097/01.blo.0000096804.78689.c2

Question

Can abnormal contact between the proximal femur and acetabular rim explain early osteoarthritis in non-dysplastic hips?

Design

Conceptual paper drawing on the Bern group's experience of surgical hip dislocation.

Patients

Young adults with hip pain and early degenerative change without classic dysplasia.

Intervention

Description of cam and pincer impingement mechanisms

Comparison

None

Primary outcome

Proposed pathomechanism of labral and chondral damage

Key result

Described cam (aspherical femoral head-neck junction) and pincer (acetabular over-coverage) impingement and their characteristic patterns of labral and cartilage damage, proposing FAI as a cause of early osteoarthritis.

Limitations

Hypothesis-generating with no controlled data; the causal link to osteoarthritis remains incompletely proven.

Impact on practice

Foundational paper underpinning modern understanding, imaging and surgical treatment of FAI; the cam/pincer classification is a standard exam topic.