It’s amazing what doctors can do now. Our granddaughter is going to have a surgeon insert a long, thin needle with a tiny TV camera on the end into her hip. They will be able to look inside and see what’s causing so much pain. Everyone seems so calm about it but I’m older and have seen what can go wrong with many things. What’s the worst case scenario for this type of surgery?

You have described a procedure called a hip arthroscopy. Using a special type of real-time X-ray called fluoroscopy, a highly trained surgeon does indeed insert a scope into the joint. With the ability to broadcast a picture, this tool shows the inside of a joint such as the hip on a computer screen.

It is a procedure that is used everyday in adults. Arthroscopy is becoming more widely used in children and adolescents as well. Complications can arise but the reported complication rate is low (1.8 per cent). And most of the problems that develop are mild and/or temporary (e.g., nerve palsy, abscess around a stitch).

Rarely, there can be broken hardware when a surgical tool is damaged while inside the joint. The surgeon has to stop the main procedure and take care of the new problem but no permanent harm is done.

Studies in this area show that concerns about damaging the growth plate, altering bone growth, or injuring developing cartilage are unfounded. These events are possible complications but don’t seem to occur.

Hip arthroscopy in children and adolescents is a valuable diagnostic tool. It is safe and effective in the hands of a skilled and highly trained orthopedic surgeon.