title: Femoroacetabular impingement.
abstract: Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) is a pathomechanical concept describing the early and painful contact of morphological changes of the hip joint, both on the acetabular, and femoral head sides. These can lead clinically to symptoms of hip and groin pain, and a limited range of motion with labral, chondral and bony lesions. Pincer impingement generally involves the acetabular side of the joint where there is excessive coverage of the acetabulum, which may be focal or more diffuse. There is linear contact of the acetabulum with the head/neck junction. Cam impingement involves the femoral head side of the joint where the head is associated with bony excrescences and is aspheric. The aspheric femoral head jams into the acetabulum. Imaging appearances are reviewed below. This type is evident in young males in the second and third decades. The main features of FAI are described.
authors.affiliation: The University of Notre Dame Australia, School of Medicine Sydney, 160 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst 2010, NSW, Sydney, Australia. andersonsembach@yahoo.com.au
authors.forename: Suzanne E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: Klaus Arno
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Siebenrock
authors.forename: Moritz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tannast
mesh_terms: D057925:Femoracetabular Impingement / Q000473:pathology*; D006621:Hip Joint / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*