Does preoperative marijuana use influence postoperative outcomes following arthroscopic treatment for femoroacetabular impingement syndrome? A prospective cohort analysis

Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine if marijuana use was correlated with patient reported outcomes or complications after arthroscopic treatment of femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (FAIS). This was a cohort Study (Level of Evidence: 3). Data were prospectively collected from patients with a minimum of 2-year follow-up after arthroscopic treatment for FAIS. Inclusion criteria included primary hip arthroscopy for FAIS and completion of both preoperative and 2-year postoperative Hip Disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Scores (HOOS) surveys. Primary outcomes were the HOOS subscales. Secondary outcomes included complications and subsequent hip surgery. Patients were divided into two cohorts according to preoperative self-reported marijuana use: current/prior use (‘User’) versus no use (‘Nonuser’). Additional predictors included demographics, tobacco use, radiographic and intraoperative data, and preoperative HOOS scores. Included were 101 patients: 31 in the User cohort and 70 in the Nonuser cohort. Baseline demographics between cohorts were similar in most categories, except for a statistically greater history of tobacco use (54.8% versus 14.3%, P < .001). Mean HOOS change scores and rates of minimal clinically important difference (MCID) achievement were similar between groups, except for the Pain subscale, where more Nonusers achieved MCID than Users (P = .026). Rates of complications and revisions were similar between groups. In this prospective cohort study, patients with a current or prior use of marijuana (‘Users’) had similar outcomes to Nonusers after arthroscopic treatment for FAIS at 2-year follow up, although fewer Users reached the MCID for HOOS pain and most outcomes trended worse in the User group.