On September 25, 2024, members of the Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine division at Children’s National Hospital hosted the inaugural DC Orthopaedic Hip Symposium. This educational event brought together hip preservation and hip arthroplasty specialists from the surrounding area to discuss comprehensive hip care – from care of the symptomatic young adult hip up to replacement of the native hip.

Jeffrey Peck, M.D., a hip preservation orthopaedic surgeon at Children’s National, gave his perspective on the meeting.

Q: What are the current challenges in the field of hip preservation and hip arthroplasty? 

A: Hip conditions that cause pain, such as dysplasia or impingement, can be undiagnosed or misdiagnosed by non-specialist providers. We have several very effective treatments in the fields of hip preservation and hip arthroplasty. By bringing together the hip specialists in the DC area, we aimed to deepen our own understanding of how to best treat hip pain and to share with other care providers how patients can get the right care at the right time.

Q: How did this gathering address those challenges? What were some of your key takeaways from the event?

A: By bringing people together who treat the hip at multiple different times and in different ways, we were able to broaden our perspective of looking at hip care. This will help us look more sensibly at those areas of uncertainty and will help each of us optimize how we assist patients with hip pain. The event highlighted how there are remaining areas within hip care in which a single, superior approach is not definitively settled.

Q: Who presented, and on what topics?

A:

• Andrew Wolff, M.D., discussed borderline hip dysplasia and when arthroscopy can be considered.
• Jeffrey Peck, M.D., discussed borderline hip dysplasia, looking at how a periacetabular osteotomy is indicated to preserve the hip and improve pain.
• John Christoforetti, M.D., discussed challenging and complex cases of hip pain in soccer athletes.
• Christopher Cannova, M.D., discussed how to best perform a total hip arthroplasty when dysplasia has progressed to end stage hip arthritis.

Q: How do you think Children’s National is leading the way in the care of these patients?

A: Children’s National is leading the way in caring for hip preservation patients by providing an integrated care model for patients with hip pain, including a Hip Preservation Fellowship Trained orthopaedic surgeon, physical therapists, psychologists, athletic trainers and physiatry physicians who work in tandem with the surgeons and therapists to optimize non-operative care for patients. By hosting and participating in events like this, we keep our team up to date on the latest approaches to hip treatment as we provide high-quality care to our patients.

“Medicine in general has become increasingly complex and adolescent hip issues are not excluded,” said Matthew Oetgen, M.D., M.B.A., chief of Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine at Children’s National. “Adolescents are participating in more intensive sports at an early age and we are seeing more and more hip pathology in these kids. We feel it is vital to not only provide comprehensive care for these patients, but also work with our community colleagues to exchange care ideas so we all continue to educate and improve the care for these patients. We hope to continue this forum and expand the outreach so we foster excellence in care throughout the region.”